Stone, minerals and semiprecious of the world stone
Sulphate: Woulffenite -->rus
Diagnostic cart.
Pb MoO4
Crystal structure trigonal
Hardness on the Mohs scale 2-3
Specific unit weight mass 6-7
Cleavage noperfect absolute
Fracture, break wrong, padman
Colors yellow, gold, orange, red
Colors in powder triturate white
Glance (glitter, glare) resin
A wulfenite is a molybdate of lead plumbum. Glance (glitter, glare) diamond. Transparent to translucent. Colors: from waxen-yellow to orange-red. A line is rather yellow. Fracture, break padman, uneven. Fragile. Cleavage perfect absolute. Appears as second mineral in the areas of oxidization of leaden ores. Crystals (tetragonal Crystal structure) are pyramidal or plate tablet lamellar. Important ore of molybdenum. Deposit minefield mine field occurrence subsoil meet in Austria, Yugoslavia, USA.
This molybdate of lead forms plate tablet lamellar or lamellar tabular crystals - octahedral or pseudocube. Present also as the masses of grainy or earthy addition or accumulations of granules or plates. Colors yellow, gold, orange, red. Orange-yellow, gold to waxen-yellow; also rather yellow-grey, greyish-white, olive-green, brown, reddish-brown, also orange to brightred, because of presence of chrome. Chemical composition (chemistry, compound) - variable. Crystal structure - monoclinic, prismatic type of symmetry. Cleavage to on {011} clear, to on {001} and {013} not clear.
Diagnostic indication.
Fuse melt easily; in acids dissolves slowly. Decomposes in HCl at evaporation with the selection of chloride of lead and oxide of molybdenum; dissolves in concentrated H2SO4 and lyes; decomposes in HNO4 with a selection the oxide of molybdenum.
Origin provenance genesis.
Second mineral, appearing in the area of oxidization of some leaden deposits, in an association with a cerussite, vanadinite, pyromorphite, mimetite.
Deposit minefield mine and use.
Among the numerous deposits of wulfenite especially famous for the magnificent crystals Red-klaud-Mayn in the state Arizona, Mibladen and Jebel-Mazer in Morocco, Chikhuakhua in Mexico, Mfuati in Folk Republic Congo, Blayberg in Karintiya. An industrial value as molybdenum ore has a wulfenite.
Wulfenite. Sortuz, Sitting down. Pribalkhash'e, Kazakhstan. Crystals to 0,5 sm. A photo: © A.A. Evseev.
