Sperrylite is a mineral , platinum arsenide PtAs 2 , which is the main ore of platinum. It was named after Francis Louis Sperry (1861-1906), a chemist from Sudbury, Ontario, who discovered it.
| Sperrylite | |
|---|---|
 Sperrylite | |
| Formula | PtAs 2 |
| Physical properties | |
| Colour | Tin White |
| Trait color | |
| Shine | Metal |
| Transparency | Opaque |
| Hardness | 6-7 |
| Cleavage | Imperfect by {101} |
| Syngonia | Cubic |
General Description
It is the most common platinum mineral found in all types of deposits. The minerals associated with sperrylite are chalcopyrite , galena , pyrrhotite , vornite , sphalerite , magnetite , pentlandite , native gold , chromite , ilmenite , cuprite and pyrite . It is also associated with other very rare minerals such as cutulskite , testiopalladite and others.
Most sperrylitis remains unused due to the small number of rational extraction methods. The most important deposits are in Sudbury , Ontario ( Canada ), Bushveld in Transvaal ( South Africa ), Australia, Siberia (Russia), Finland and the states of Colorado and Montana , USA [1] .