Strunz classification
Encyclopedia
Nickel–Strunz classification is a scheme for categorizing mineral
s based upon their chemical composition, introduced by German mineralogist Karl Hugo Strunz (24 February 1910 – 19 April 2006) in his 1941 Mineralogische Tabellen. The 4th edition was edited by Christel Tennyson too (1966). It was followed by A.S. Povarennykh with a modified classification (1966 in Russian, 1972 in English).
As curator of the Mineralogical Museum of Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität (now known as the Humboldt University of Berlin
), Strunz had been tasked with sorting the museum's geological collection according to crystal-chemical properties. His Mineralogical Tables, first published in 1941, has been through a number of modifications; the most recent edition, published in 2001, is the ninth (Mineralogical Tables by Hugo Strunz and Ernest H. Nickel (31 August 1925 – 18 July 2009)). Nowadays, James A. Ferraiolo is responsible for it at Mindat.org
. The IMA
/CNMNC supports the Nickel–Strunz database.
The current scheme divides minerals into ten classes, which are further divided into divisions, families and groups according to chemical composition and crystal
structure.
IMA/CNMNC mineral classes
IMA/CNMNC proposes a new hierarchical scheme , using the Nickel-Strunz classes (10 ed) this gives:
Mineral
A mineral is a naturally occurring solid chemical substance formed through biogeochemical processes, having characteristic chemical composition, highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties. By comparison, a rock is an aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids and does not...
s based upon their chemical composition, introduced by German mineralogist Karl Hugo Strunz (24 February 1910 – 19 April 2006) in his 1941 Mineralogische Tabellen. The 4th edition was edited by Christel Tennyson too (1966). It was followed by A.S. Povarennykh with a modified classification (1966 in Russian, 1972 in English).
As curator of the Mineralogical Museum of Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität (now known as the Humboldt University of Berlin
Humboldt University of Berlin
The Humboldt University of Berlin is Berlin's oldest university, founded in 1810 as the University of Berlin by the liberal Prussian educational reformer and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt, whose university model has strongly influenced other European and Western universities...
), Strunz had been tasked with sorting the museum's geological collection according to crystal-chemical properties. His Mineralogical Tables, first published in 1941, has been through a number of modifications; the most recent edition, published in 2001, is the ninth (Mineralogical Tables by Hugo Strunz and Ernest H. Nickel (31 August 1925 – 18 July 2009)). Nowadays, James A. Ferraiolo is responsible for it at Mindat.org
Mindat.org
Mindat.org is a non-commercial online mineralogical database, claiming to be the largest mineral database and mineralogical reference website on the internet....
. The IMA
International Mineralogical Association
The International Mineralogical Association is an international group of 38 national societies. The goal is to promote the science of mineralogy and to standardize the nomenclature of the 4000 plus known mineral species...
/CNMNC supports the Nickel–Strunz database.
Classifications
Nickel–Strunz mineral classesThe current scheme divides minerals into ten classes, which are further divided into divisions, families and groups according to chemical composition and crystal
Crystal
A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituent atoms, molecules, or ions are arranged in an orderly repeating pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions. The scientific study of crystals and crystal formation is known as crystallography...
structure.
- elementsNative element mineralsNative element minerals are those elements that occur in nature in uncombined form with a distinct mineral structure. The elemental class includes metals and intermetallic elements, semi-metals and non-metals...
- sulfides and sulfosaltsSulfosalt mineralsSulfosalt minerals are those complex sulfide minerals with the general formula: AmBnSp; where A represents a metal such as copper, lead, silver, iron and rarely mercury, zinc, vanadium; B usually represents semi-metal such as arsenic, antimony, bismuth and rarely germanium, or metals like tin and...
- halides
- oxides, hydroxides and arsenitesArsenite mineralsArsenite minerals are very rare oxygen-bearing arsenic minerals. Classical world localities where such minerals occur include the complex skarn manganese deposit at Långban and the polymetallic Tsumeb deposit . The most often reported arsenite anion in minerals is the AsO33- anion, present for...
- carbonatesCarbonate mineralsCarbonate minerals are those minerals containing the carbonate ion: CO32-.-Anhydrous carbonates:*Calcite group: Trigonal**Calcite CaCO3**Gaspeite CO3**Magnesite MgCO3**Otavite CdCO3**Rhodochrosite MnCO3**Siderite FeCO3**Smithsonite ZnCO3...
and nitrateNitrateThe nitrate ion is a polyatomic ion with the molecular formula NO and a molecular mass of 62.0049 g/mol. It is the conjugate base of nitric acid, consisting of one central nitrogen atom surrounded by three identically-bonded oxygen atoms in a trigonal planar arrangement. The nitrate ion carries a...
s - borates
- sulfates, chromates, molybdates and tungstates
- phosphatesPhosphate mineralsPhosphate minerals are those minerals that contain the tetrahedrally coordinated phosphate anion along with the freely substituting arsenate and vanadate...
, arsenates and vanadates - silicatesSilicate mineralsThe silicate minerals make up the largest and most important class of rock-forming minerals, constituting approximately 90 percent of the crust of the Earth. They are classified based on the structure of their silicate group...
- Organic compounds
IMA/CNMNC mineral classes
IMA/CNMNC proposes a new hierarchical scheme , using the Nickel-Strunz classes (10 ed) this gives:
- Classification of minerals (non silicates)
- 01 Native Elements
- Class: native elements
- 02 Sulfides and Sulfosalts (sulfides, selenides, tellurides; arsenides, antimonides, bismuthides; sulfarsenites, sulfantimonites, sulfbismuthites, etc.)
- Class 02.A – 02.G: sulfides, selenides, tellurides
- Class 02.H – 02.M: sulfosalts
- 03 Halogenides
- Class: halides
- 04 Oxides (Hydroxides, arsenites, antimonites, bismuthites, sulfites, selenites, tellurites, iodates)
- Class: oxides
- Class: hydroxides
- Class: arsenites (including antimonites, bismuthites, sulphites, selenites and tellurites)
- 05 Carbonates and Nitrates
- Class: carbonates
- Class: nitrates
- 06 Borates
- Class: borates
- Subclass: nesoborates
- Subclass: soroborates
- Subclass: cycloborates
- Subclass: inoborates
- Subclass: phylloborates
- Subclass: tectoborates
- Class: borates
- 07 Sulfates, Selenates, Tellurates
- Class: sulphates, selenates, tellurates
- Class: chromates
- Class: molybdates
- Class: tungstates
- 08 Phosphates, Arsenates, Vanadates
- Class: phosphates
- Class: arsenates
- Class: vanadates
- 10 Organic Compounds
- Class: organic compounds
- 01 Native Elements
- Classification of minerals (silicates)
- 09 Silicates and Germanates
- Class: silicates
- Subclass 09.A: nesosilicates
- Subclass 09.B: sorosilicates
- Subclass 09.C: cyclosilicates
- Subclass 09.D: inosilicates
- Subclass 09.E: phyllosilicates
- Subclass: tectosilicates
- 09.F: without zeolitic H2O
- 09.G: with zeolitic H2O; zeoliteZeoliteZeolites are microporous, aluminosilicate minerals commonly used as commercial adsorbents. The term zeolite was originally coined in 1756 by Swedish mineralogist Axel Fredrik Cronstedt, who observed that upon rapidly heating the material stilbite, it produced large amounts of steam from water that...
family
- Subclass 09.J: germanates
- Class: silicates
- 09 Silicates and Germanates
Nickel–Strunz classification −10- Organic compounds
- Abbreviations:
- "*" – discredited (IMA/CNMNC status).
- "?" – questionable/doubtful (IMA/CNMNC status).
- Nickel–Strunz code scheme: NN.XY.##x
- NN: Nickel–Strunz mineral class number
- X: Nickel–Strunz mineral division letter
- Y: Nickel–Strunz mineral family letter
## x: Nickel–Strunz mineral/group number, x add-on letter
Class: organic compounds
- 10.A Salts of organic acids
- 10.AA Formates, Acetates, etc.: 05 Formicaite, 10 Dashkovaite, 20 AcetamideAcetamideAcetamide is an organic compound with the formula CH3CONH2. It is the simplest amide derived from acetic acid. It finds some use as a plasticizer and as an industrial solvent...
, 25 Calclacite, 30 Paceite, 35 Hoganite - 10.AB Oxalates: 05 Humboldtine, 05 Lindbergite; 10 Glushinskite, 15 Moolooite, 20 Stepanovite, 25 Minguzzite, 30 Wheatleyite, 35 ZhemchuzhnikoviteZhemchuzhnikoviteZhemchuzhnikovite is a mineral of organic origin; formula NaMgC2O4.8H2O. It forms smokey green crystals with a vitreous lustre and is found in Russian coal mines. It is named after Yury Zhemchuzhnikov , a Russian clay mineralogist.-References:**...
, 40 WeddelliteWeddelliteWeddellite is a mineral form of calcium oxalate named for occurrences of millimeter-sized crystals found in bottom sediments of the Weddell Sea, off Antarctica...
, 45 WhewelliteWhewelliteWhewellite is a mineral, hydrated calcium oxalate, formula CaC2O4·H2O. Because of its organic content it is thought to have an indirect biological origin and this is supported by it being found in coal and sedimentary nodules. However, it has also been found in hydrothermal deposits where a...
, 50 Caoxite, 55 Oxammite, 60 Natroxalate, 65 Coskrenite-(Ce), 70 Levinsonite-(Y), 75 Zugshunstite-(Ce), 80 Novgorodovaite - 10.AC Benzene Salts: 05 MelliteMelliteMellite, also called honeystone, is an unusual mineral being also an organic chemical. Chemically identified as an aluminium salt of mellitic acid; that is, aluminium benzene hexacarboxylate hydrate, with the chemical formula Al2C66·16H2O....
, 10 Earlandite - 10.AD Cyanates: 05 Julienite*, 10 Kafehydrocyanite*
- 10.AA Formates, Acetates, etc.: 05 Formicaite, 10 Dashkovaite, 20 Acetamide
- 10.B Hydrocarbons
- 10.BA Hydrocarbons: 05 FichteliteFichteliteFichtelite is a rare white mineral found in fossilized wood from Bavaria. It crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system. It is a cyclic hydrocarbon dimethyl-isopropyl-perhydrophenanthrene, C19H34. It is very soft with a Mohs hardness of 1, the same as talc...
, 10 Hartite, 15 Dinite*, 20 IdrialiteIdrialiteIdrialite, or idrialine, is a soft, orthorhombic hydrocarbon mineral, chemical formula: C22H14. It is usually greenish yellow to light brown in colour with bluish fluorescence....
, 25 KratochviliteKratochviliteKratochvilite is a rare organic mineral formed by combustion of coal or pyritic black shale deposits. It is a hydrocarbon with the formula of either C14H10 or 2CH2. It is a polymorph of the aromatic hydrocarbon fluorene. It forms white, yellow to brown crystals in the orthorhombic system which...
, 30 Karpatite, 40 Ravatite, 45 SimonelliteSimonelliteSimonellite is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon with a chemical formula C19H24. It is similar to retene....
, 50 EvenkiteEvenkiteEvenkite is a rare hydrocarbon mineral with formula 222 or C24H50. Chemically it is n-tetracosane.It was first described in 1953 for the occurrence in the Khavokiperskiye deposit, Lower Tunguska River, Evenkia district, Siberia, Russia, where it occurs in vugs within a quartz vein in welded tuff...
- 10.BA Hydrocarbons: 05 Fichtelite
- 10.C Miscellaneous organic minerals
- 10.C AmberAmberAmber is fossilized tree resin , which has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times. Amber is used as an ingredient in perfumes, as a healing agent in folk medicine, and as jewelry. There are five classes of amber, defined on the basis of their chemical constituents...
* - 10.CA Miscellaneous organic materials: 05 Refikite, 10 Flagstaffite, 15 HoeliteHoeliteHoelite is a mineral, discovered in 1922 at Mt. Pyramide, Spitsbergen, Norway and named after Norwegian geologist Adolf Hoel . Its chemical formula is 22 or C14H8O2....
, 20 AbelsoniteAbelsoniteAbelsonite , is an organic porphyrin mineral first described in 1975 for specimens in oil shale from the Green River Formation in eastern Uintah County, Utah. It is named after Philip Hauge Abelson, an American physicist....
, 25 Kladnoite; 30 Tinnunculite*, 30 GuanineGuanineGuanine is one of the four main nucleobases found in the nucleic acids DNA and RNA, the others being adenine, cytosine, and thymine . In DNA, guanine is paired with cytosine. With the formula C5H5N5O, guanine is a derivative of purine, consisting of a fused pyrimidine-imidazole ring system with...
; 35 UreaUreaUrea or carbamide is an organic compound with the chemical formula CO2. The molecule has two —NH2 groups joined by a carbonyl functional group....
, 40 Uricite
- 10.C Amber