Tellurium Mineral Data

General Tellurium Information

Chemical Formula:

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 127.60 gm

Tellurium 100.00 % Te

______

100.00 %

Empirical Formula:

Environment:

Hydrothermal vein mineral.

IMA Status:

Valid Species (Pre-IMA) 1783

Locality:

Facebaj, Transylvania, Romania. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

Named after the element, Latin, tellus = "earth."

Name Pronunciation:

Tellurium + Pronunciation

Synonym:

ICSD 23058

PDF 36-1452

Selen tellurium - Mixture with selenium

Tellurium Image

Images:

Tellurium

Comments: Crystalline native tellurium on quartz.
Location: Rosia Montana (Verespatak), Transylvania, Romania. Scale: Not Given.
© Lou Perloff / Photo Atlas of Minerals

Images:

Empressite Tellurium

Comments: Bronze-colored microcrystals of empressite with bright native tellurium crystals.
Location: Rex mine, Boulder County, Colorado, USA. Scale: 1.9 x 1.4 x 0.7 cm.
© Richard Dale / Dale Minerals

Tellurium Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:c = 1:1.33011

Cell Dimensions:

a = 4.447, c = 5.915, Z = 3; V = 101.30 Den(Calc)= 6.27

Crystal System:

Trigonal - Trapezohedral H-M Symbol (3 2) Space Group: P 3₁21

$Help on X Ray Diffraction:$ X Ray Diffraction:

By Intensity(I/I_o): 3.23(1), 2.351(0.37), 2.228(0.31),

Forms:

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Forms: ( 1 0 0) ( 0 1 1) ( 0 0 1)

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Physical Properties of Tellurium

Cleavage:

{100} Good

Color:

White, Grayish white.

Density:

6.2

Diaphaneity:

Opaque

Fracture:

Brittle - Generally displayed by glasses and most non-metallic minerals.

Habit:

Columnar - Forms columns

Habit:

Massive - Uniformly indistinguishable crystals forming large masses.

Hardness:

2-2.5 - Gypsum-Finger Nail

Luminescence:

Non-fluorescent.

Luster:

Metallic

Magnetism:

Nonmagnetic

Streak:

grayish white

Optical Properties of Tellurium

RL Anisotrophism:

Fairly strong.

RL Color:

White.

RL Pleochroism:

Feeble.

Reflectivity

**Standardized Intensity (100%) Reflection Spectra of Tellurium in Air**
λ	R₁	R₂	∑ R₁(λ)	∑ R₂(λ)
400 nm	58.00	69.80
420 nm	57.80	69.50
440 nm	57.60	69.20
460 nm	57.40	69.00
480 nm	57.30	68.90
500 nm	57.20	68.80
520 nm	57.10	68.80
540 nm	57.10	68.70
560 nm	57.00	68.50
580 nm	56.60	68.20
600 nm	56.00	67.60
620 nm	55.40	67.00
640 nm	54.50	66.20
660 nm	53.60	65.40
680 nm	52.70	64.50
700 nm	51.60	63.50

**Calculated Relative Intensity Colors of Tellurium in Air**
Relative Intensity	0%	20%	40%	60%	80%	100%	120%	140%	160%
R₁
R₂

Calculated Properties of Tellurium

Electron Density:

Bulk Density (Electron Density)=5.11 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Tellurium =6.27 gm/cc.

Fermion Index:

Fermion Index = 0.07
Boson Index = 0.93

Photoelectric:

PE_Tellurium= 376.32 barns/electron
U=PE_Tellurium x rElectron Density=1,923.10 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

GRapi = 0 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)
Tellurium is Not Radioactive

Tellurium Classification

Dana Class:

01.03.04.02 (01)Native Elements

(01.03)with semi-metallic and non-metallic elements

(01.03.04)Dana Group

01.03.04.01 Selenium Se P 3₁21,P 3₂21 3 2

01.03.04.02 Tellurium Te P 3₁21 3 2

Strunz Class:

01.CC.10 01 - ELEMENTS (Metals and intermetallic alloys; metalloids and nonmetals; carbides, silicides, nitrides, phosphides)

01.C - Metalloids and Nonmetals

01.CC -Sulfur-selenium-iodine

01.CC.10 Selenium Se P 3₁21,P 3₂21 3 2

01.CC.10 Tellurium Te P 3₁21 3 2

Other Tellurium Information

References:

NAME( Dana8) PHYS. PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990) OPTIC PROP.(AntBidBlaNic1)

See Also:

Links to other databases for Tellurium :
1 - Am. Min. Crystal Structure Database
2 - Amethyst Galleries' Mineral Gallery
3 - Athena
4 - GeoScienceWorld
5 - Google Images
6 - Google Scholar
7 - Handbook of Mineralogy (MinSocAm)
8 - Handbook of Mineralogy (UofA)
9 - MinDAT
10 - Mineral and Gemstone Kingdom
11 - Mineralienatlas (Deutsch)
12 - Online Mineral Museum
13 - QUT Mineral Atlas
14 - Ruff.Info
15 - WWW-MINCRYST

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Print or Cut-and-Paste your Tellurium Specimen Label here :

Tellurium

Te
Dana No: 01.03.04.02 Strunz No: 01.CC.10
Locality:

Notes:

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