Difference between revisions of "Cerussite"
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normal lead carbonate; natural lead carbonate; horn silver; Cerussit (Deut.); Weißbleierz (Deut.); cérusite (Fr.); cerusita (Esp.); albayalde (Esp.); carbonato de plomo (Esp.); cerussite (It.); cerusite (Port.); cerussiet (Ned.) | normal lead carbonate; natural lead carbonate; horn silver; Cerussit (Deut.); Weißbleierz (Deut.); cérusite (Fr.); cerusita (Esp.); albayalde (Esp.); carbonato de plomo (Esp.); cerussite (It.); cerusite (Port.); cerussiet (Ned.) | ||
| − | [[[SliderGallery rightalign|Cerussite PMA.TIF~FTIR ( | + | [[[SliderGallery rightalign|Cerussite PMA.TIF~FTIR (PMA)|Cerussiteitaly1.jpg~Raman]]] |
== Other Properties == | == Other Properties == | ||
Revision as of 07:05, 4 December 2019
Description
A grayish-white, crystalline mineral composed of lead carbonate. Cerussite, first described by K. Gesner in 1565, is one of the primary types of lead ore. It is mined in Spain (Murcia), England (Cornwall), Saxony (Johanngerogenstadt), Namibia (Tsumeb), Australia (New South Wales), Canada (British Columbia) and the U.S.(Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Idaho, Pennsylvania). Cerussite can be formed by the action of ground water on Galena (lead sulfide) ore. Although basic lead carbonate has been used as a white pigment since ancient times, it was made synthetically and not obtained from the naturally occurring cerussite ore. In fact, cerussite has rarely been used as a white pigment although it is occasionally found as an impurity in basic lead carbonate (Gettens, Kuhn and Chase, 1993).
Synonyms and Related Terms
normal lead carbonate; natural lead carbonate; horn silver; Cerussit (Deut.); Weißbleierz (Deut.); cérusite (Fr.); cerusita (Esp.); albayalde (Esp.); carbonato de plomo (Esp.); cerussite (It.); cerusite (Port.); cerussiet (Ned.)
Other Properties
Orthorhombic crystal system with tabular, prismatic or pyramidal crystals. Brittle with conchoidal fracture. Yellowish to golden fluorescence. Can be transparent to translucent.
Luster = adamantine to silky. Streak = white. Effervescent in acids.
Ground particle are transparent under plane polarized light. High birefringence under cross polars with fourth order interference colors. Extinction is complete
| Composition | PbCO3 |
|---|---|
| Mohs Hardness | 3.0 - 3.5 |
| Density | 6.55 |
| Refractive Index | 1.803; 2.074; 2.076 |
Hazards and Safety
Toxic. Carcinogen, teratogen, suspected mutagen
Additional Information
° R.J.Gettens, H. Kuhn, and W.T. Chase, "Lead White", Artists Pigments, Volume 2, A. Roy (ed.), Oxford University Press: Oxford, 1993.
° Mineralogy Database: Cerussite
Sources Checked for Data in Record
- Nicholas Eastaugh, Valentine Walsh, Tracey Chaplin, Ruth Siddall, Pigment Compendium, Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, 2004 Comment: Vol 2, page 301
- Encyclopedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com Comment: cerussite" Encyclopædia Britannica [Accessed December 4, 2001].
- C.W.Chesterman, K.E.Lowe, Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Rocks and Minerals, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1979 Comment: source for physical parameters
- Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, at http://www.wikipedia.com Comment: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerussite (Accessed Sept 2 2005, Mons=3-3.75, spec. grav=6.5)
- Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993
- Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia, Douglas M. Considine (ed.), Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1976
- Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997
- The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998