THE PYRITE GROUP OF MINERALS



The Pyrite Group is composed of minerals with a similar isometric structure and related chemistry. It is named for its most common member, pyrite. The general formula for this group is AX2. The A can be either iron, zinc, mercury, gold, cobalt, copper, manganese, nickel, osmium, iridium, palladium, platinum or ruthenium. The X can be either sulfur, arsenic, antimony, bismuth, selenium and/or tellurium. Pyrite's formula is FeS2 for example. While this is actually a fairly large group, only pyrite is common and only a few others are even recognized by experience collectors.


The following are members of the Pyrite Group of minerals:
  • Aurostibite (Gold Antimonide)
  • Cattierite (Cobalt Sulfide)
  • Dzharkenite (Iron Selenide)
  • Erlichmanite (Osmium Sulfide)
  • Fukuchilite (Copper Iron Sulfide)
  • Geversite (Platinum Antimonide)
  • Hauerite (Manganese Sulfide)
  • Insizwaite (Platinum Bismuthinide Antimonide)
  • Krutaite (Copper Selenide)
  • Laurite (Ruthenium Sulfide)
  • Maslovite (Platinum Bismuth Telluride)
  • Mayingite (Iridium Bismuth Telluride)
  • Penroseite (Nickel Cobalt Copper Selenide)
  • Pyrite (Iron Sulfide)
  • Sperrylite (Platinum Arsenide)
  • Testibiopalladite (Palladium Antimonide Telluride)
  • Trogtalite (Cobalt Selenide)
  • Vaesite (Nickel Sulfide)
  • Villamaninite (Copper Nickel Cobalt Iron Sulfide)
Popular Members of the Sulfides Class









 


Copyright ©1995-2023 by Amethyst Galleries, Inc.