The Subclasses Of The Sulfates Class

Which include the Chromates, the Molybdenates, the Selenates and Selenites, the Tellurates and Tellurites, the Tungstates and the Sulfites.



The Sulfate subclasses include many exotic minerals with only a few minerals that are familiar even to most collectors. The basic chemical unit is the (AO4) complex anion with a charge of negative two (-2).

The selenites and tellurites (notice the spelling) have a basic unit of (AO3). There are also some members of these subclasses with a basic anion unit of (AO6) The A can be either chromium (Cr), tungsten (W), selenium (Se), tellurium (Te) and/or molybdenium (Mo). The principle anion group never shares oxygens with other principle anion groups and this limits the structural possibilities. The A atom at the center of the AO4 anion has a positive six charge (+6) and the oxygens have their obligatory negative two charge (-2). The AO4 anions form symmetrical tetrahedrons when A is either chromium and flattened tetrahedrons when A is either molybdenium, selenium, tellurium or tungsten. The flattened tetrahedrons form a square outline and help produce (in many of those minerals) a tetragonal (four fold) symmetry, which is an uncommon symmetry in minerals.

The typical Sulfate Class mineral is vitreous, average to above average in density, average in hardness and are originally formed in veins, oxidation zones, contact metamorphic zones and in evaporite deposits. Some Sulfate Class minerals are soluble and several are fluorescent. All other properties are variable.


Subclass: Chromates

  • Chromatite (Calcium Chromate)
  • Crocoite (Lead Chromate)
  • Deanesmithite (Mercury Chromate Sulfide)
  • Edoylerite (Mercury Chromate Sulfide)
  • Hashemite (Barium Chromate Sulfate)
  • Hemihedrite (Lead Zinc Chromate Silicate Fluoride)
  • Iranite (Lead Copper Chromate Silicate Fluoride Hydroxide)
  • Lopezite (Potassium Chromate)
  • Macquartite (Lead Copper Chromate Silicate Hydroxide)
  • Phoenicochroite (Lead Chromate Oxide)
  • Santanaite (Lead Chromate Oxide)
  • Tarapacaite (Potassium Chromate)
  • Wattersite (Mercury Chromate)


Subclass: Molybdenates

  • Deloryite (Copper Uranyl Molybdenate Hydroxide)
  • Koechlinite (Bismuth Molybdenate)
  • Lindgrenite (Copper Molybdenate Hydroxide)
  • Powellite (Calcium Molybdenate)
  • Sedovite (Uranium Molybdenate)
  • Szenicsite (Copper Molybdenate Hydroxide)
  • Wulfenite (Lead Molybdenate)


Subclass: Selenates (SeO4) and Selenites (SeO3)

  • Ahlfeldite (Hydrated Nickel Cobalt Selenite)
  • Chalcomenite (Copper Selenite)
  • Clinochalcomenite (Hydrated Copper Selenite)
  • Cobaltomenite (Hydrated Cobalt Selenite)
  • Demesmaekerite (Hydated Lead Copper Uranyl Selenite Hydroxide)
  • Derriksite (Copper Uranyl Selenite Hydroxide)
  • Francisite (Copper Bismuth Selenite Oxide Chloride)
  • Guilleminite (Hydated Barium Uranyl Selenite Oxide)
  • Haynesite (Hydated Uranyl Selenite Hydroxide)
  • Mandarinoite (Hydrated Iron Selenite)
  • Marthozite (Hydated Copper Uranyl Selenite Hydroxide)
  • Molybdomenite (Lead Selenite)
  • Olsacherite (Lead Selenate Sulfate)
  • Schmiederite (Lead Copper Selenite Selenate Hydroxide)
  • Sophiite (Zinc Selenite Chloride)


Subclass: Tellurates (TeO4) and Tellurites (TeO3)

  • Balyakinite (Copper Tellurite)
  • Carlfriesite (Calcium Tellurite)
  • Cesbronite (Hydrated Copper Tellurite Hydroxide)
  • Chekhovichite (Bismuth Lead Iron Tellurite)
  • Cheremnykhite (Zinc Lead Tellurate Vanadate Arsenate)
  • Choloalite (Copper Lead Tellurite)
  • Cliffordite (Uranium Tellurite)
  • Cuzticite (Hydrated Iron Tellurate)
  • Denningite (Manganese Zinc Tellurite)
  • Dugganite (Lead Zinc Tellurate Arsenate Vanadate Silicate Hydroxide)
  • Emmonsite (Hydrated Iron Tellurite)
  • Eztlite (Hydrated Lead Iron Tellurite Tellurate Hydroxide)
  • Fairbankite (Lead Tellurite)
  • Frankhawthorneite (Copper Tellurate Hydroxide)
  • Girdite (Lead Hydrogen Tellurite Tellurate)
  • Graemite (Hydrated Copper Tellurite)
  • Jensenite (Hydrated Copper Tellurate)
  • Keystoneite (Hydrated Magnesium Nickel Iron Tellurite)
  • Khinite (Lead Copper Tellurate Hydroxide)
  • Kinichilite (Hydrated Magnesium Manganese Iron Tellurite)
  • Kuranakhite (Lead Manganese Tellurate)
  • Kuksite (Lead Calcium Zinc Tellurate Phosphate Vanadate)
  • Mackayite (Iron Tellurite Hydroxide)
  • Magnolite (Mercury Tellurite)
  • Mcalpineite (Hydrated Copper Tellurate)
  • Moctezumite (Lead Uranyl Tellurite)
  • Montanite (Hydrated Bismuth Tellurate)
  • Mroseite (Calcium Tellurite Carbonate Oxide)
  • Tlapallite (Hydrated Lead Hydrogen Tellurite Tellurate)
  • Parakhinite (Copper Lead Tellurate Hydroxide)
  • Pingguite (Bismuth Tellurite)
  • Plumbotellurite (Lead Tellurite)
  • Poughite (Hydrated Iron Tellurite Sulfate)
  • Quetzalcoatlite (Zinc Copper Tellurite Hydroxide)
  • Rajite (Copper Tellurite)
  • Rodalquilarite (Hydrogen Iron Tellurite Chloride)
  • Schiefflinite (Hydrated Lead Tellurate Sulfate)
  • Schmitterite (Uranyl Tellurite)
  • Smirnite (Bismuth Tellurite)
  • Sonoraite (Hydrated Iron Tellurite Hydroxide)
  • Spiroffite (Manganese Zinc Tellurite)
  • Teineite (Hydrated Copper Tellurite)
  • Tlalocite (Hydrated Copper Zinc Tellurite Tellurate Chloride Hydroxide)
  • Tlapallite (Hydrogen Calcium Lead Copper Zinc Tellurite Tellurate Sulfate)
  • Winstanleyite (Titanium Tellurite)
  • Xocomecatlite (Copper Tellurate Hydroxide)
  • Yecoraite (Hydrated Bismuth Iron Tellurite Tellurate Oxide)
  • Zemannite (Hydrated Magnesium Zinc Iron Tellurite)


Subclass: Tungstates

  • Cuprotungstite (Copper Tungstate Hydroxide)
  • Ferberite (Iron Tungstate)
  • Hubnerite (Manganese Tungstate)
  • Jixianite (Lead Iron Tungstate Oxide Hydroxide)
  • Lindgrenite (Aluminum Tungstate Hydroxide)
  • Raspite (Lead Tungstate)
  • Russellite (Bismuth Tungstate)
  • Sanmartinite (Zinc Iron Tungstate)
  • Scheelite (Calcium Tungstate)
  • Stolzite (Lead Tungstate)
  • Tungstibite (Antimony Oxide Tungstate)
  • Wolframite (Manganese Iron Tungstate)

Subclass: Sulfites (SO3)

  • Gravegliaite (Hydrated Manganese Sulfite)
  • Hannebachite (Hydrated Calcium Sulfite)
  • Orschallite (Hydrated Calcium Sulfite Sulfate)
  • Scotlandite (Lead Sulfite)



Much information for this page provided by the Mineralogy Database
Popular Members of the Sulfates Class






 


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