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Sylvanite

Year of discovery: 1835 (Baia de Arieş (Offenbánya), Romania), 1933 (Japan)

Locality list: 12 localities of sylvanite

• AgAuTe₄
• (Ag,Au)₂Te₄
• [Ag⁺][Au³⁺][(Te₂)₂]^4-

• Class: Krennerite group
• Class: Ditelluride
• Insoluble in: HCl
• Magnetism: Paramagnetic (After heating)

• Polymorph: Muthmannite (Monoclinic)

• Ag => Au: Calaverite, Krennerite
• Ag => Cu: Kostovite

• AgAu => Ni₂: Melonite
• AgAu => Pd₂: Merenskyite
• AgAu => Pt₂: Moncheite
• AgAu => Ir₂: Shuangfengite

• Color: Silver white, Pale yellow
• Tarnish: Dark gray
• Streak: Silver white
• Luster: Metallic
• Diaphaneity: Opaque

• Habit: Short prismatic elongated to [001] or [010], Thick tabular by {100} and {010}, Skeletal, Bladed
• Twin: {100} contact, penetration

• Cleavage: {010} Perfect (1 plane)
• Hardness: 1.5-2
• Density: 8.2

• System: Monoclinic
• Group: 2/m, P2/c
• Lattice: a=9.0, b=4.5, c=14.6, β=145.4

Etymology: Sylvan in Transylvania district, Romania, where this mineral was discovered for the first time.