reinerite
{{Short description|Rare arsenite (arsenate(III)) mineral}}
{{Infobox mineral
| name = Reinerite
| category = arsenite
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| strunz = 4.JA.10
| formula = Zn3(AsO3)2
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| system = Orthorhombic
| class = Dipyramidal (mmm)
H-M symbol: (2/m 2/m 2/m)
| symmetry = Pbam (no. 55)
| unit cell = a = 6.092 Å, b = 14.407 Å
c = 7.811 Å; Z = 4
V = 685.55
a:b:c = 0.423 : 1 : 0.542
| color = Sky blue, yellow green
| habit = Rough striated pseudohexagonal crystals
| twinning =
| cleavage = Good on {110}, {011} and {111}
| fracture =
| tenacity =
| mohs = 5 - 5.5
| luster = Vitreous to adamantine
| refractive = nα = 1.740 nβ = 1.790 nγ = 1.820
| opticalprop = Biaxial (-)
| birefringence = Maximum δ = 0.080
| pleochroism =
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| gravity = 4.27
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| diaphaneity = Transparent
| other = Relief: very high
| references = [http://webmineral.com/data/Reinerite.shtml Webmineral data][http://www.handbookofmineralogy.org/pdfs/reinerite.pdf Handbook of Mineralogy][http://www.mindat.org/min-3386.html Mindat.org][http://www.minsocam.org/ammin/AM62/AM62_1129.pdf American Mineralogist]
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Reinerite is a rare arsenite (arsenate(III)) mineral with chemical formula Zn3(AsO3)2. It crystallizes in the orthorhombic crystal system.
Physical properties
Reinerite is most commonly found as a sky blue colored mineral, however, it may also be a light yellowish green color. Reinerite has a relative hardness of 5 to 5.5 on the Mohs Scale which is equivalent to that of a knife blade and or shard of glass. It has a density of 4.27 g/cm3, and it exhibits a nonmetallic luster that may be described as glassy or vitreous.Lutgens, Frederick, and Edward Tarbuck. Essentials of Geology. 10th. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2009. 42. Print.
Environment
Reinerite develops in dolomite-hosted locations. It is known especially from Namibia, Africa, within the mines of Tsumeb. At the Tsumeb location, Reinerite develops within the polymetallic lead-zinc-copper deposit, {{convert|800|m|abbr=on}} below the surface, in the second oxidation zone. It occurs in association with chalcocite, bornite, willemite, smithsonite, hydrozincite, hemimorphite, adamite, olivenite and gebhardite.