Loellingite
Loellingite is an iron arsenide mineral with the formula FeAs₂. It typically occurs in hydrothermal veins and metamorphic deposits.
Arsenide mineral: A mineral in which arsenic is bonded with one or more metals, commonly forming a compound with metallic character. Loellingite belongs to this mineral class because arsenic is chemically combined with iron.
Arsenopyrite: An iron arsenic sulfide mineral with the formula FeAsS, common in hydrothermal ore deposits. It commonly occurs with loellingite but contains sulfur as well as arsenic.
Arsenic production: The extraction and processing of arsenic from arsenic-bearing ores and industrial residues. Loellingite can contribute arsenic to ores processed for arsenic or associated metals.
Cobalt, Ontario: A mining district in Ontario, Canada, known for silver-cobalt ores and diverse arsenide minerals. Its arsenide-rich ore assemblages include minerals related to loellingite.
Pyrite structure: A crystal structure type characterized by paired nonmetal atoms and a metal-centered cubic arrangement. Loellingite adopts this structure type, with arsenic pairs occupying the positions of sulfur pairs in pyrite.
Safflorite: A cobalt-rich arsenide mineral in the loellingite group, with an ideal formula CoAs₂. It shares loellingite’s structure and arsenide chemistry, with cobalt replacing much of the iron.
Cobalt mining: The extraction of cobalt-bearing ores for use in alloys, batteries, and other materials. Cobalt-bearing loellingite-group minerals may occur in cobalt deposits alongside iron-rich loellingite.
Erzgebirge: A Central European mountain region with a long history of mining polymetallic ore deposits. Its hydrothermal and metamorphic ores provide classic settings for arsenide minerals such as loellingite.
Orthorhombic crystal system: A crystal system with three mutually perpendicular axes of unequal length. Loellingite’s crystals are orthorhombic, a key feature of its crystallographic identity.
Rammelsbergite: A nickel arsenide mineral with the formula NiAs₂ and a structure related to loellingite’s. It is the nickel-dominant counterpart in the same mineral group.