Covellite

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Covellite

Description

Dark blue hexagonal crystals or black powder composed of Copper sulfide. Covellite was named for Niccolo Covelli after he discovered the mineral at Vesuvius in the early 19th century. Copper sulfide was probably used as a black pigment in antiquity (Orna et al 1980). It is currently used in antifouling paints and in textile dying with Aniline black.

Synonyms and Related Terms

copper sulfide; covelliet (Ned.)

Raman

CovelliteRS.jpg


Risks

  • Unstable in air.

Physical and Chemical Properties

  • Hexagonal crystals.
  • Cleavage is perfect in one direction.
  • Fracture = uneven.
  • Luster = submetallic.
  • Streak = gray to black
Composition CuS
Mohs Hardness 1.5 - 2.0
Density 4.6-4.8 g/ml

Resources and Citations

  • M.V.Orna, M.J.D.Low, N.S.Baer, "Synthetic Blue Pigments: Ninth to Sixteenth Centuries. I. Literature" Studies in Conservation, 25:53-63, 1980.
  • C.W.Chesterman, K.E.Lowe, Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Rocks and Minerals, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1979

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