Paratacamite

Paratacamite from Levant mine, England; Wikipedia[1]

Description

A light green, chlorinated copper corrosion product. Paratacamite is composed of basic copper chloride and has been found as a green pigment in 5th - 8th century Asian wall paintings, as well as in some later Persian miniature and European paintings. On Copper and Bronze artifacts, paratacamite and Atacamite indicate the presence of Bronze disease.

FTIR (MFA)

Synonyms and Related Terms

basic copper chloride; Paratacamit (Deut.); para atacamiet (Ned.);

Physical and Chemical Properties

• Composition = Cu(OH)₂-CuCl
• Description = Dark green, massive or rhombohedral crystals
• Fracture = Conchoidal
• Luster = Vitreous to dull
• Streak = light green
• Hardness = 3
• Density = 3.74 g/cm3

Resources and Citations

• Webmineral: Paratacamite
• Wikipedia: Paratacamite
• The Dictionary of Art, Grove's Dictionaries Inc., New York, 1996 Comment: 'Pigment'