Naldrettite
Encyclopedia
Naldrettite is a mineral with a chemical formula of Pd2Sb. It is named after Anthony J. Naldrett
(b. 1933), a professor
at the University of Toronto
, who has made significant contributions to the International Mineralogical Association
(IMA). Naldrettite is a new intermetallic mineral from the Mesamax Northwest deposit, Ungava region, Québec
, Canada. Mineralization takes place around the base of basaltic dyke margins. Naldrettite is economically important because of its chemical composition (Pd2Sb). The sample in which the new mineral was discovered had high platinum group
elements (PGEs) with palladium
enrichment.
Naldrettite occurs as anhedral grains that are commonly attached to sulfide mineral
s and are associated with clinochlore. It belongs to the orthorhombic crystal system
and is a part of the pyramidal class. This means that all of the edge lengths (a,b,c) of the unit cell are different in length and intersect at right angles to each other. The mineral is metallic, opaque, appears bright creamy white under plane polarized light, has weak bireflectance, and does not exhibit internal reflections.
Anthony J. Naldrett
Anthony James "Tony" Naldrett, FRSC is a Canadian geologist. He is an authority on the geology and origin of nickel-copper-platinum group element deposits, the tectonic setting in which they occur, the petrology of associated rocks, and controls on their composition...
(b. 1933), a professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
, who has made significant contributions to the International Mineralogical Association
International Mineralogical Association
The International Mineralogical Association is an international group of 38 national societies. The goal is to promote the science of mineralogy and to standardize the nomenclature of the 4000 plus known mineral species...
(IMA). Naldrettite is a new intermetallic mineral from the Mesamax Northwest deposit, Ungava region, Québec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada. Mineralization takes place around the base of basaltic dyke margins. Naldrettite is economically important because of its chemical composition (Pd2Sb). The sample in which the new mineral was discovered had high platinum group
Platinum group
The platinum group metals is a term used sometimes to collectively refer to six metallic elements clustered together in the periodic table.These elements are all transition metals, lying in the d-block .The six...
elements (PGEs) with palladium
Palladium
Palladium is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pd and an atomic number of 46. It is a rare and lustrous silvery-white metal discovered in 1803 by William Hyde Wollaston. He named it after the asteroid Pallas, which was itself named after the epithet of the Greek goddess Athena, acquired...
enrichment.
Naldrettite occurs as anhedral grains that are commonly attached to sulfide mineral
Sulfide mineral
The sulfide minerals are a class of minerals containing sulfide as the major anion. Some sulfide minerals are economically important as metal ores. The sulfide class also includes the selenides, the tellurides, the arsenides, the antimonides, the bismuthinides, the sulfarsenides and the sulfosalts...
s and are associated with clinochlore. It belongs to the orthorhombic crystal system
Crystal system
In crystallography, the terms crystal system, crystal family, and lattice system each refer to one of several classes of space groups, lattices, point groups, or crystals...
and is a part of the pyramidal class. This means that all of the edge lengths (a,b,c) of the unit cell are different in length and intersect at right angles to each other. The mineral is metallic, opaque, appears bright creamy white under plane polarized light, has weak bireflectance, and does not exhibit internal reflections.