Alabandite

{{Short description|Sulfide mineral}}

{{Infobox mineral

| name = Alabandite

| category = Sulfide mineral

| image = 2461M-alabandite1.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Group of octahedral alabandite crystals partially coated with pink rhodochrosite, from Uchucchacua Mine, Oyon, Lima, Peru (size: 60 mm × 59 mm × 46 mm, 204 g)

| formula = MnS

|IMAsymbol=Abd{{Cite journal|last=Warr|first=L.N.|date=2021|title=IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols|journal=Mineralogical Magazine|volume=85|issue=3|pages=291–320|doi=10.1180/mgm.2021.43|bibcode=2021MinM...85..291W|s2cid=235729616|doi-access=free}}

| molweight =

| strunz = 2.CD.10 (10 ed)
II/C.15-30 (8 ed)

| dana = 2.8.1.4

| system = Cubic

| class = Hexoctahedral (m{{overline|3}}m)
H-M symbol: (4/m {{overline|3}} 2/m)

| symmetry = Fm{{overline|3}}m

| unit cell = a = 5.2236 Å; Z = 4

| color = black, steelgray, brownish-black

| habit = mostly massive or granular; cubic or octahedral crystals to 1 cm

| twinning = Lamellar || {111}

| cleavage = Perfect on {100}

| fracture = Irregular, uneven

| tenacity = Brittle

| mohs = 3.5 to 4

| luster = Sub-metallic

| streak = Green

| diaphaneity = Opaque, translucent in thin fragments

| gravity = 4.053

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| opticalprop = Isotropic

| refractive = n = 2.70

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| references = [http://www.handbookofmineralogy.org/pdfs/alabandite.pdf Handbook of Mineralogy][http://www.mindat.org/min-89.html Mindat.org]

}}

Alabandite or alabandine, formerly known as manganese blende or bluemenbachite is a rarely occurring manganese sulfide mineral. It crystallizes in the cubic crystal system with the chemical composition Mn²⁺S and develops commonly massive to granular aggregates, but rarely also cubic or octahedral crystals to 1 cm.