May 7 2013
Atheneite is a rare palladium, mercury arsenide mineral first discovered in 1974 by E.E. Fejer, .J. Criddle and A.M. Clark from the Minas Gerais mine in Itabira, Brazil. It was named for the Greek goddess Pallas Athene, in allusion to its palladium content.
Properties of Atheneite
The following are the key properties of Atheneite:
- Cell Data
- Space Group: P6/mmm
- a = 6.798
- c = 3.483
- Z = 2
- Crystal Data
- Hexagonal
- Point Group: 6/m 2/m 2/m
- As tiny blebs; crystal outlines seldom displayed, grain boundaries being commonly embayed
- X-ray Powder Pattern: 2.423 (vvs), 2.246 (vs), 1.371 (s), 1.302 (s), 1.259 (s), 1.871 (ms), 1.034 (ms)
- Chemical Composition
| Elements |
Content 1 |
Content 2 |
| Pd |
66.0 |
67.15 |
| Pt |
- |
1.96 |
| Hg |
14.9 |
13.79 |
| Au |
0.5 |
0.47 |
| Fe |
- |
0.08 |
| Cu |
0.1 |
<0.07 |
| As |
19 |
17.48 |
| Sb |
0.1 |
- |
| Total |
100.6 |
100.93 |
- Optical Properties
- Estimated Properties
| Electron density |
Bulk density (electron density)=9.36 g/cm3
note: Specific gravity of Atheneite =11.1 g/cm3 |
| Photoelectric |
PEAtheneite = 681.59 barns/electron
U= PEAtheneite x ρElectron density= 6379.56 barns/cm3 |
| Fermion index |
Fermion index = 0.21
Boson index = 0.79 |
| Radioactivity |
Atheneite is not radioactive |
How to Identify Atheneite
Atheneite is an opaque gray white mineral with a metallic luster. The mineral has density of 10.2 and hardness of 5.
Global Distribution
Atheneite is distributed in the following places:
- Itabira [TL], and in the Cauˆe and Concei¸c˜ao iron mines, Minas Gerais, Brazil
- Serra Pelada Au–Pd–Pt deposit, Para, Brazil
- Merensky Reef, Bushveldt complex, Transvaal, South Africa
- Zlatoust, Ural Mountains, Russia
Occurrence of Atheneite and Useful Mineral Association
Atheneite occurs in concentrates from gold washings. Hematite, isomertieite, palladseite and arsenopalladinite are closely associated with atheneite.
References