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| Hopeite
is named in honor of Thomas Charles Hope (1766–1844),
Professor of Chemistry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh,
Scotland.
| Discovered
in 1822;
IMA
status:
Valid (pre-IMA; Grandfathered) |
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Chemistry
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Chemical
Formula: |
Zn3(PO4)2•4(H2O)
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Hydrated
Zinc Phosphate |
Molecular
Weight: |
458.17 gm
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Composition: |
Zinc |
42.82 % |
Zn |
53.29 % |
ZnO |
|
Phosphorus |
13.52 % |
P |
30.98 % |
P2O5 |
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Hydrogen |
1.76 % |
H |
15.73 % |
H2O |
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Oxygen |
41.90 % |
O |
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100.00 % |
|
100.00 % |
= TOTAL OXIDE |
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Classification
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Mineral
Classification: |
Phosphates
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Strunz 8th
Ed. ID:
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7/C.11-20
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Nickel-Strunz 10th
Ed. ID:
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8.CA.30
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8 : PHOSPHATES, ARSENATES, VANADATES C : Phosphates without additional anions, with H2O A : With small and large/medium cations
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Related
to: |
Hopeite
Group. Dimorph of Parahopeite.
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Varieties: |
None
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Synonyms: |
α-Hopeite,
β-Hopeite,
Hibbenite
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Crystal
Data
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Crystallography:
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Orthorhombic
- Dipyramidal
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Crystal
Habit:
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Crystals tabular {010} to prismatic [001], and occurring individually or
as tufted or divergent aggregates and crusts. Face development is
frequently irregular. The crystals may simulate disphenoidal or
hemimorphic symmetry. Reniform masses; compact.
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Twinning:
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None
observed
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Physical
Properties
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Cleavage: |
Perfect
on {010}; good on {100}; poor on {001}
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Fracture: |
Irregular/Uneven
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Tenacity:
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Brittle
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Moh's
Hardness: |
3.5
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Density:
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3.00
- 3.10 (g/cm3)
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Luminescence:
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None
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Radioactivity:
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Not
Radioactive
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Other: |
Readily soluble in dilute HCl.
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Optical
Properties
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Color: |
Colorless,
Grayish White, pale Yellow, Brownish Orange; Colorless
in transmitted light.
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Transparency: |
Transparent
to Translucent
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Luster: |
Vitreous,
Pearly on {010} cleavages
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Refractive
Index: |
1.572
- 1.592 Biaxial ( - ); sections || {100}
are optically sectorially zoned.
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Birefringence: |
0.018
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Dispersion: |
Perceptible;
r < v
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Pleochroism: |
None
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Occurances
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Geological
Setting: |
A
rare, late-stage mineral in some hydrothermal zinc deposits
and complex granite pegmatites; incrusting bone breccia
in a limestone cave. |
Common
Associations: |
Tarbuttite,
Hemimorphite, Spencerite, Smithsonite, Vanadinite (Kabwe,
Zambia); Triphylite, Ferrisicklerite, Leucophosphite,
Laueite, Robertsite, Hydroxylapatite, Sphalerite (Tip
Top mine, South Dakota, USA). |
Common
Impurities: |
None
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Type
Locality: |
Vieille Montagne
(Altenberg; Kelmisberg), Moresnet, Kelmis, Plombičres-Vieille Montagne
(Plombičres-Altenberg) District, Verviers, Ličge Province, Belgium |
Year
Discovered: |
1822
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View
mineral photos: |
Hopeite
Mineral Photos and Locations |
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More
Information
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|
Mindat.org Webmineral.com
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Hopeite
is a rare zinc phosphate mineral that is rarely available
as a faceted gem. The only locality for gemmy crystals
is Kabwe (Broken Hill), Central Province, Zambia. Crystals
from this location can be very well formed and attractive
in shades of brownish orange to orange but are very
small. Hopeite is dimorphous with the mineral parahopeite.
The two have the exact same chemistry but different structures.
Hopeite is orthorhombic and parahopeite is triclinic.
Hopeite
can be found at Vieille Montagne (Altenberg), Moresnet
district, Belgium. In Germany, at Bad Ems, Rhineland-Palatinate;
from Hagendorf, Bavaria; and at Oberschulenberg, Harz
Mountains. Relatively large crystals at Kabwe (Broken
Hill), Zambia. From the Hudson Bay mine, about eight
km southeast of Salmo, British Columbia, Canada. In
the USA, at the Tip Top mine, 8.5 km southwest of Custer,
Custer County, South Dakota; from the Palermo #1 mine,
near North Groton, Grafton County, New Hampshire; and
in the Iron Cap Pb–Zn mine, near Aravaipa, Graham County,
Arizona.
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Hopeite
gems for sale:
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