Greenockite is a rare
cadmiumCadmium is a chemical element with the symbol Cd and atomic number 48. The soft, bluish-white transition metal is chemically similar to the two other metals in group 12, zinc and mercury. Similar to zinc it prefers oxidation state +2 in most of its compounds and similar to mercury it shows a low...
mineralA mineral is a naturally occurring solid formed through geological processes that has a characteristic chemical composition, a highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties. A rock, by comparison, is an aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids, and need not have a specific...
that consists of
cadmium sulfideCadmium sulfide is a chemical compound with the formula CdS. Cadmium sulfide is yellow in colour and is a semiconductor. It exists in nature as two different minerals, hexagonal greenockite and cubic hawleyite. Cadmium sulfide is a direct band gap semiconductor and has many applications for...
, CdS, in crystalline form. Greenockite crystallizes in the hexagonal system. It occurs as massive encrustations and as six-sided pyramidal crystals which vary in color from a honey yellow through shades of red to brown. The Mohs hardness is 3 to 3.5 and the specific gravity is 4.5 to 5.
Greenockite occurs with other sulfide minerals such as
sphaleriteSphalerite is a mineral that is the chief ore of zinc. It consists largely of zinc sulfide in crystalline form but almost always contains variable iron. When iron content is high it is an opaque black variety, marmatite. It is usually found in association with galena, pyrite, and other sulfides...
and
galenaGalena is the natural mineral form of lead sulfide. It is the most important lead ore mineral.Galena is one of the most abundant and widely distributed sulfide minerals. It crystallizes in the cubic crystal system often showing octahedral forms...
.
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Greenockite is a rare
cadmiumCadmium is a chemical element with the symbol Cd and atomic number 48. The soft, bluish-white transition metal is chemically similar to the two other metals in group 12, zinc and mercury. Similar to zinc it prefers oxidation state +2 in most of its compounds and similar to mercury it shows a low...
mineralA mineral is a naturally occurring solid formed through geological processes that has a characteristic chemical composition, a highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties. A rock, by comparison, is an aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids, and need not have a specific...
that consists of
cadmium sulfideCadmium sulfide is a chemical compound with the formula CdS. Cadmium sulfide is yellow in colour and is a semiconductor. It exists in nature as two different minerals, hexagonal greenockite and cubic hawleyite. Cadmium sulfide is a direct band gap semiconductor and has many applications for...
, CdS, in crystalline form. Greenockite crystallizes in the hexagonal system. It occurs as massive encrustations and as six-sided pyramidal crystals which vary in color from a honey yellow through shades of red to brown. The Mohs hardness is 3 to 3.5 and the specific gravity is 4.5 to 5.
Greenockite occurs with other sulfide minerals such as
sphaleriteSphalerite is a mineral that is the chief ore of zinc. It consists largely of zinc sulfide in crystalline form but almost always contains variable iron. When iron content is high it is an opaque black variety, marmatite. It is usually found in association with galena, pyrite, and other sulfides...
and
galenaGalena is the natural mineral form of lead sulfide. It is the most important lead ore mineral.Galena is one of the most abundant and widely distributed sulfide minerals. It crystallizes in the cubic crystal system often showing octahedral forms...
. It is the only
ore mineral of cadmium, most cadmium is recovered as a byproduct of zinc and lead mining.
It was first recognized in 1840 in
BishoptonBishopton is a large village in Renfrewshire, Scotland, a few miles west of Erskine.-Transport Links:...
,
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, during the cutting of a tunnel for the
Glasgow, Paisley and Greenock RailwayThe Glasgow, Paisley and Greenock Railway was an early railway, which merged with the Caledonian Railway. It was created to provide train services between Greenock and Glasgow.-History:...
. The mineral was named after the land owner
Lord GreenockCharles Murray Cathcart, 2nd Earl Cathcart GCB was a British Army general who became Governor General of the Province of Canada and Lieutenant Governor of Canada West .-Life:Cathcart, eldest surviving son of William Schaw Cathcart, 1st Earl Cathcart, was born at...
. It is also known from the lead-zinc districts of the central
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.