Pyromorphite

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Lead chlorophosphate mineral

title: "Pyromorphite" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["lead-minerals", "phosphate-minerals", "halide-minerals", "hexagonal-minerals", "minerals-in-space-group-176", "luminescent-minerals"] description: "Lead chlorophosphate mineral" topic_path: "general/lead-minerals" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyromorphite" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Lead chlorophosphate mineral ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox mineral"]

FieldValue
namePyromorphite
categoryPhosphate mineral
Apatite group
imagePyromorphite - Santa Eufemia, Cordoba, Spain.jpg
imagesize260px
formulaPb5(PO4)3Cl
IMAsymbolPym
strunz8.BN.05
systemHexagonal
classDipyramidal (6/m)

(same H-M symbol) | | symmetry | P63/m | | color | Dark green to grass-green or green, yellow, yellow-orange, reddish orange, yellow-brown, greenish-yellow or yellowish-green, shades of brown, tan, grayish, white and may be colorless; colourless or faintly tinted in transmitted light. | | habit | Prismatic to acicular crystals, globular to reniform | | twinning | Rarely on {112} | | cleavage | Imperfect- [101] | | fracture | Uneven to sub-conchoidal | | tenacity | Brittle | | mohs | 3.5–4 | | luster | Resinous to subadamantine | | refractive | nω = 2.058 nε = 2.048 | | opticalprop | Uniaxial (−) May be anomalously biaxial (−) | | birefringence | δ = 0.010 | | pleochroism | Weak | | fluorescence | May fluoresce yellow to orange under LW and SW UV | | streak | White | | gravity | 7.04 measured, 7.14 calculated | | diaphaneity | Transparent to translucent | | other | Piezoelectric if biaxial | | references | | ::

| name = Pyromorphite | category = Phosphate mineral Apatite group | boxwidth = | image = Pyromorphite - Santa Eufemia, Cordoba, Spain.jpg | imagesize = 260px | caption = | formula = Pb5(PO4)3Cl | IMAsymbol = Pym | molweight = | strunz = 8.BN.05 | system = Hexagonal | class = Dipyramidal (6/m)

(same H-M symbol) | symmetry = P63/m | color = Dark green to grass-green or green, yellow, yellow-orange, reddish orange, yellow-brown, greenish-yellow or yellowish-green, shades of brown, tan, grayish, white and may be colorless; colourless or faintly tinted in transmitted light. | habit = Prismatic to acicular crystals, globular to reniform | twinning = Rarely on {112} | cleavage = Imperfect- [101] | fracture = Uneven to sub-conchoidal | tenacity = Brittle | mohs = 3.5–4 | luster = Resinous to subadamantine | polish = | refractive = nω = 2.058 nε = 2.048 | opticalprop = Uniaxial (−) May be anomalously biaxial (−) | birefringence = δ = 0.010 | dispersion = | pleochroism = Weak | fluorescence= May fluoresce yellow to orange under LW and SW UV | absorption = | streak = White | gravity = 7.04 measured, 7.14 calculated | density = | melt = | fusibility = | diagnostic = | solubility = | diaphaneity = Transparent to translucent | other = Piezoelectric if biaxial | references =

Pyromorphite is a mineral species composed of lead chlorophosphate: Pb5(PO4)3Cl, sometimes occurring in sufficient abundance to be mined as an ore of lead. Crystals are common, and have the form of a hexagonal prism terminated by the basal planes, sometimes combined with narrow faces of a hexagonal pyramid. Crystals with a barrel-like curvature are not uncommon. Globular and reniform masses are also found.

Pyromorphite is part of the apatite group of minerals and bears a close resemblance physically and chemically with two other minerals: mimetite (Pb5(AsO4)3Cl) and vanadinite (Pb5(VO4)3Cl). The resemblance in external characters is so close that, as a rule, it is only possible to distinguish between them by chemical tests. They were formerly confused under the names green lead ore and brown lead ore (German: Grünbleierz and Braunbleierz).

History

The mineral was first distinguished chemically by M. H. Klaproth in 1784, and it was named pyromorphite by J. F. L. Hausmann in 1813. The name is derived from the Greek for pyr (fire) and morfe (form) due to its crystallization behavior after being melted.

Properties

The color of the mineral is usually some bright shade of green, yellow or brown, and the luster is resinous. The hardness is 3.5 to 4, and the specific gravity between 6.5 and 7.1.

Isomorphism

Owing to isomorphous replacement of the phosphorus by arsenic there may be a gradual passage from pyromorphite to mimetite. Varieties containing calcium isomorphously replacing lead are lower in density (specific gravity 5.9–6.5) and usually lighter in color; they bear the names polysphaerite (because of the globular form), miesite from Stříbro (pronounced Mies in German) in Bohemia, nussierite from Nuizière, Chénelette, near Beaujeu, Rhône, France, and cherokine from Cherokee County in Georgia.

Biology

Paecilomyces javanicus is a fungus collected from a lead-polluted soil that is able to form biominerals of pyromorphite.

Gallery

File:Pyromorphite-137773.jpg|A pocket of crystals of pyromorphite from China File:Pyromorphite-157594.jpg|Miniature of sharp, lustrous, apple green color crystal "sprays" on matrix File:Pyromorphite-137954.jpg|Fine crystals of pyromorphite from Daoping Mine, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China File:Pyromorphite-118273.jpg|Green pyromorphite crystals densely carpet the display side of the large matrix File:Pyromorphite-Cerussite-Caledonite-278353.jpg|Green pyromorphite microcrystals cover the vuggy, quartz-rich matrix. Seams of tiny cerussite crystals and crusts of contrasting, powder-blue caledonite round out this very rich lead ore specimen from an old Leadhills mine.

References

References

  1. Warr, L.N.. (2021). "IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols". Mineralogical Magazine.
  2. "Handbook of Mineralogy".
  3. "Pyromorphite". Webmineral data.
  4. "Pyromorphite". Mindat.org.
  5. (1998). "Dana's Minerals and How to Study Them (After Edward Salisbury Dana)". John Wiley & Sons.
  6. (2007). "Manual of Mineral Science". Wiley.
  7. (1999). "Cambridge Guide to Minerals, Rocks and Fossils". Cambridge University Press.
  8. (2008). "Pigment Compendium". Routledge.
  9. Klaproth. (1784). "Von dem Wassereisen, als einem mit Phosphorsäure verbundenen Eisenkalke".
  10. Details of Klaproth's chemical analysis of pyromorphite appear in: Klaproth (1785) [https://books.google.com/books?id=NYjBkHlP7CIC&pg=RA1-PA13 "Ueber die Phosphorsäure im Zschopauer grünen Bleyspathe"] (On phosphoric acid in green lead spar from Zschopau), ''Beyträge zu den chemischen Annalen'', '''1''' (1) : 13–21.
  11. (1802). "LXXXVII. Chemische Untersuchung der phosphorsauren Bleierze: I. Zeisiggrünes Bleierz von Zschopau. (87. Chemical investigation of the lead ores [containing] phosphoric acid: I. Siskin-green lead ore from Zschopau) in: Klaproth, Martin Heinrich, ''Beiträge zur chemischen Kenntnis der Mineralkörper'' [Contributions to our chemical knowledge of minerals]". Heinrich August Rottmann.
  12. Dr. Thomas Witzke. "''Entdeckung von Pyromorphit'' (Discovery of pyromorphite)".
  13. Hausmann, Johann Friedrich Ludwig. (1813). "Handbuch der Mineralogie". Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht.
  14. Chester, Albert Huntington. (1896). "A Dictionary of the Names of Minerals Including Their History and Etymology". John Wiley & Sons.
  15. "Pyromorphite - The Green Lead Ore".
  16. (October 2014). "Fungal transformation of metallic lead to pyromorphite in liquid medium". [[Chemosphere_(journal).

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