CHALCOPYRITE

Chemical properties

yellow brass colored crystal(s); tetr; hardness 3.5–4.0; chalcopyrite is an ore; can be synthesized by reacting KFeS with ammonia copper solution; used in semiconductor research [MER06]

Physical properties

Habit: rare tetrahedral disphenoidal crystals, botryoidal, striated, druse, usually zoned.
Color: brass yellow or honey yellow.
Luster: metallic.
Diaphaneity: opaque.
Streak: greenish black.
Cleavage: {011}, {111}.
Fracture: uneven, brittle.
Twinning: {112}.
Chemical: attacked by HNO3, corroded by a mixture of KOH + KMnO4.
Occurrence: veins and disseminated in metamorphic and igneous rocks (e.g., gabbros, norites).
Others: n-type semiconductor with ΔEg = 0.01 eV–0.03 eV. Electrical resistivity 150 to 9000 μΩ.cm., melting point 950°C.

The Uses of CHALCOPYRITE

The ore as source of copper. The synthetic material in semiconductor research.

Definition

ChEBI: A sulfide mineral with formula CuFeS2. Chalcopyrite is the most important copper ore