Mineral Factbook

Hessite

Ag2TeIMA symbol: Hesgrandfathered

Hessite is a sulfide or sulfosalt mineral with the formula Ag2Te, crystallizing in the monoclinic system. It has a Mohs hardness of 2.5-3, typically gray in color, with a metallic luster, a specific gravity of 8.31-8.45. Its streak is black.

Photos

Hessite specimen photo
Vikent’eva, O.V.; Shilovskikh, V.V.; Shcherbakov, V.D.; Vikentyev, I.V.; Bortnikov, N.S. · CC BY 4.0 · Commons
Hessite specimen photo
Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Hessite specimen photo
Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Hessite specimen photo
Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons

Crystallography

Crystal systemmonoclinic crystal systemWikidata (CC0)
Space groupP 1 21/c 1
Cell (Å, °)a = 8.09, b = 4.48, c = 8.96; α = 90, β = 123.33, γ = 90
Cell volume271.326 ų, Z = 4
Axial ratios1.8058:1:2.0000calculated from COD 5910144
Source structureCOD 5910144 (Zeitschrift fuer Kristallographie, Kristallgeometrie, Kristallphysik, Kristallchemie (-144,1977), 1959) — 1 of 6 structures

Powder X-ray diffraction (calculated)

2θ (degrees, Cu Kα1)I/I₀ (max 100)
d (Å)2.8642.3152.9982.2532.242.146
I/I₀10097.552.440.738.436.2

xrd-v1: CuKa1 1.5406A, 2theta 5-90, top10, Imax=100, no DW/PO. Computed from COD 5910144; idealized occupancies, no preferred orientation.

Physical properties

Density (calculated)8.405 g/cm³calculated from COD 5910144
Hardness (Mohs)
2.5-3single sourceDana, System of Mineralogy, 6th ed. (1892)
Specific gravity
8.31-8.45 g/cm3corroboratedDana, System of Mineralogy, 6th ed. (1892)
Color
graysingle sourceDana, System of Mineralogy, 6th ed. (1892)
Streak
blacksingle sourceWikidata (CC0)
Luster
metallicsingle sourceDana, System of Mineralogy, 6th ed. (1892)

Chemistry (calculated)

Molecular weight343.34 g/molcalculated from the IMA formula
Composition (wt%)Ag 62.84%, Te 37.16%

Classification

Nickel-Strunz (10th)2.BA.60Wikidata (CC0)
Nickel-Strunz (9th)2.BA.30cWikidata (CC0)