Maucherite

Maucherite
240px Cubanite-Maucherite-Valleriite
General
Category	Arsenide mineral
Formula (repeating unit)	Ni11As8
Strunz classification	02.AB.15
Identification
Color	grey to reddish silver white
Crystal system	tetragonal
Mohs scale hardness	4.5-5.5
Streak	grayish black
Specific gravity	6.9-7.3

Maucherite is a grey to reddish silver white nickel arsenide mineral. It crystallizes in the tetragonal crystal system. It occurs in hydrothermal veins alongside other nickel arsenide and sulfide minerals. It is metallic and opaque with a hardness of 5 and a specific gravity of 7.83. It is also known as placodine and Temiskamite. The unit cell is of symmetry group P4₁2₁2.

It has the chemical formula: Ni₁₁As₈ and commonly contains copper, iron, cobalt, antimony, and sulfur as impurities.

It was discovered in 1913 in Eisleben, Germany and was named after Wilhelm Maucher (1879–1930), a German mineral collector.

References

• Mindat localities