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Avicennite

A valid IMA mineral species - grandfathered

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Photos of Avicennite (31)Discuss Avicennite

Avicennite Gallery Search Photos of Avicennite

Edit Avicennite Add Synonym Edit CIF structures Clear Cache

Avicennite, etc.

Mount Nakkaalaaq, Ilímaussaq complex, Kujalleq, Greenland

Avicennite

Erzmatt, Buus, Sissach, Basel-Landschaft, Switzerland

Avicennite

Lookout Pass Thallium prospect, Little Valley, Lookout Pass Mining District, Tooele County, Utah, USA

Avicennite, etc.

Mount Nakkaalaaq, Ilímaussaq complex, Kujalleq, Greenland

Avicennite

Erzmatt, Buus, Sissach, Basel-Landschaft, Switzerland

Avicennite

Lookout Pass Thallium prospect, Little Valley, Lookout Pass Mining District, Tooele County, Utah, USA

Avicennite, etc.

Mount Nakkaalaaq, Ilímaussaq complex, Kujalleq, Greenland

Avicennite

Erzmatt, Buus, Sissach, Basel-Landschaft, Switzerland

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About AvicenniteHide

Abū ‘Alī al-Ḥusayn ibn ‘Abd Allāh ibn Sīnā'

Formula:

Tl³⁺₂O₃

Colour:

Greyish black with brownish black tint

Lustre:

Metallic

Hardness:

1½ - 2½

Specific Gravity:

8.9

Crystal System:

Isometric

Name:

For the medieval Uzbek (Persian) scholar and physician, Abu 'Ali al-Husayn ibn 'Abd Allah ibn Sina (Avicenna) (980-1037), who lived in Bukhara, Uzbekistan.

Type Locality:

ⓘ Dzhuzumli village, Zirabulak Mountain (Zirabulakskie Mountain), Samarqand, Uzbekistan

This page provides mineralogical data about Avicennite.

Unique IdentifiersHide

Mindat ID:

437

Long-form identifier:

mindat:1:1:437:6

IMA Classification of AvicenniteHide

IMA status:

Approved, 'Grandfathered' (first described prior to 1959)

First published:

1958

Type description reference:

Karpova, K. N., Kon'kova, E. A., Larkin, E. D. and Savel'ev, V. F. (1958): Avicennite, a new mineral. Doklady Akademii Nauk Uzbekistan SSR, 2, 23-26 (in Russian).

Classification of AvicenniteHide

Strunz-mindat (2026):

4.CB.10

4 : OXIDES (Hydroxides, V[5,6] vanadates, arsenites, antimonites, bismuthites, sulfites, selenites, tellurites, iodates)
C : Metal: Oxygen = 2: 3,3: 5, and similar
B : With medium-sized cations

Dana 8th ed.:

4.3.8.1

4 : SIMPLE OXIDES
3 : A₂X₃

Hey's CIM Ref.:

7.7.3

7 : Oxides and Hydroxides
7 : Oxides of Group III metals other than Al

Mineral SymbolsHide

As of 2021 there are now IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols (abbreviations) for each mineral species, useful for tables and diagrams.

Symbol	Source	Reference for Standard
Avc	IMA–CNMNC	Warr, L.N. (2021). IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols. Mineralogical Magazine, 85(3), 291-320. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43

Physical Properties of AvicenniteHide

Lustre:

Metallic

Transparency:

Opaque

Colour:

Greyish black with brownish black tint

Streak:

Greyish black, black with a brownish tint

Hardness:

1½ - 2½ on Mohs scale

Hardness:

VHN₂₅=46 - 80 kg/mm² - Vickers

Tenacity:

Very brittle

Fracture:

Irregular/Uneven, Hackly, Conchoidal

Density:

8.9 g/cm³ (Measured) 10.34 g/cm³ (Calculated)

Optical Data of AvicenniteHide

Type:

Isotropic

Reflectivity:

Wavelength	R₁ (%)
400nm	11.5%
470nm	12.5%
500nm	13.0%
546nm	12.7%
589nm	12.3%
650nm	10.6%
700nm	11.5%

Graph shows reflectance levels at different wavelengths (in nm). Peak reflectance is 13.0%.

Colour in reflected light:

Pale grey to medium grey

Chemistry of AvicenniteHide

Mindat Formula:

Tl³⁺₂O₃

Element Weights:

Element	% weight
Tl	89.492 %
O	10.508 %

Calculated from ideal end-member formula.

Elements listed:

O, Tl - search for minerals with similar chemistry

Common Impurities:

Chemical AnalysisHide

Oxide wt%:

	1
Tl₂O₃	85.36 %
V₂O₅	0.73 %
As₂O₅	0.85 %
Sb₂O₃	12.98 %
Total:	99.92 %

Sample references:

ID	Locality	Reference	Notes
1	Khokhoy deposit, Khokhoy Gold Ore Field, Upper Amga gold-mining district, Aldansky District, Sakha, Russia	Anisimova, Galina S.; Kondratieva, Larisa A.; Kardashevskaia, Veronika N.; Kasatkin, Anatoly V.; Gurzhiy, Vladislav V. (2025) Sb-Rich Avicennite from the Khokhoy Gold Deposit (Aldan Shield, Russia). Minerals, 15 (12). doi:10.3390/min15121294

Crystallography of AvicenniteHide

Crystal System:

Isometric

Class (H-M):

m3(2/m3) - Diploidal

Space Group:

Ia3

Cell Parameters:

a = 10.5468 Å

Unit Cell V:

1,173.17 Å³ (Calculated from Unit Cell)

Morphology:

Crystals, less than 1 mm, some showing subhedral octahedral faces; porous grains; coatings on carlinite

Crystal StructureHide

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Data courtesy of the American Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database. Click on an AMCSD ID to view structure

ID	Species	Reference	Year	Temp (K)
0015057	Avicennite	Otto H H, Baltrusch R, Brant H J (1993) Further evidence for Tl3+ in Tl-based superconductors from improved bond strength parameters involving new structural data of cubic Tl2O3 Physica C 215 205-208	1993	293
0017672	Avicennite	Zachariasen W (1928) Untersuchungen ueber die Kristallstruktur von Sesquioxyden und Verbindungen A B O3 _cod_database_code 1010952 Skrifter utgitt av det Norske Videnskaps-Akademi i Oslo 1928 1-165	1928	293
0017649	Avicennite	Zachariasen W (1927) The crystal structure of the modification C of the sesquioxides of the rare earth metals, and of indium and thallium. _cod_database_code 1010927 Norsk Geologisk Tidsskrift 9 310-316	1927	293

CIF Raw Data - click here to close

data_global
_chemical_name_mineral 'Avicennite'
loop_
_publ_author_name
'Otto H H'
'Baltrusch R'
'Brant H J'
_journal_name_full 'Physica C'
_journal_volume 215 
_journal_year 1993
_journal_page_first 205
_journal_page_last 208
_publ_section_title
;
 Further evidence for Tl3+ in Tl-based superconductors from improved
 bond strength parameters involving new structural data of cubic Tl2O3
;
_database_code_amcsd 0015057
_chemical_formula_sum 'Tl2 O3'
_cell_length_a 10.5344
_cell_length_b 10.5344
_cell_length_c 10.5344
_cell_angle_alpha 90
_cell_angle_beta 90
_cell_angle_gamma 90
_cell_volume 1169.040
_exptl_crystal_density_diffrn     10.381
_symmetry_space_group_name_H-M 'I a 3'
loop_
_space_group_symop_operation_xyz
  'x,y,z'
  '1/2+x,1/2+y,1/2+z'
  '1/2+z,x,1/2-y'
  '+z,1/2+x,-y'
  '1/2+z,-x,y'
  '+z,1/2-x,1/2+y'
  '-z,x,1/2+y'
  '1/2-z,1/2+x,+y'
  '-z,-x,-y'
  '1/2-z,1/2-x,1/2-y'
  '1/2+y,1/2-z,-x'
  '+y,-z,1/2-x'
  '-y,1/2-z,x'
  '1/2-y,-z,1/2+x'
  '1/2-y,z,-x'
  '-y,1/2+z,1/2-x'
  'y,z,x'
  '1/2+y,1/2+z,1/2+x'
  'x,1/2-y,1/2+z'
  '1/2+x,-y,+z'
  '-x,y,1/2+z'
  '1/2-x,1/2+y,+z'
  'x,1/2+y,-z'
  '1/2+x,+y,1/2-z'
  '-x,-y,-z'
  '1/2-x,1/2-y,1/2-z'
  '1/2-z,-x,1/2+y'
  '-z,1/2-x,+y'
  '1/2-z,x,-y'
  '-z,1/2+x,1/2-y'
  'z,-x,1/2-y'
  '1/2+z,1/2-x,-y'
  'z,x,y'
  '1/2+z,1/2+x,1/2+y'
  '1/2-y,1/2+z,x'
  '-y,+z,1/2+x'
  'y,1/2+z,-x'
  '1/2+y,+z,1/2-x'
  '1/2+y,-z,x'
  '+y,1/2-z,1/2+x'
  '-y,-z,-x'
  '1/2-y,1/2-z,1/2-x'
  '-x,1/2+y,1/2-z'
  '1/2-x,+y,-z'
  'x,-y,1/2-z'
  '1/2+x,1/2-y,-z'
  '-x,1/2-y,z'
  '1/2-x,-y,1/2+z'
loop_
_atom_site_label
_atom_site_fract_x
_atom_site_fract_y
_atom_site_fract_z
_atom_site_U_iso_or_equiv
Tl1   0.25000   0.25000   0.25000   0.01270
Tl2   0.96815   0.00000   0.25000   0.00810
O   0.38240   0.39050   0.15420   0.02400

X-Ray Powder DiffractionHide

Powder Diffraction Data:

d-spacing	Intensity
3.044 Å	(100)
1.864 Å	(38)
2.637 Å	(37)
1.590 Å	(30)
4.307 Å	(17)
2.068 Å	(7)
2.486 Å	(6)

Locality:

Dzhuzumli village, Zirabulak Mountain (Zirabulakskie Mountain), Samarqand, Uzbekistan

Reference:

Karpova, K. N., Kon'kova, E. A., Larkin, E. D. and Savel'ev, V. F. (1958): Avicennite, a new mineral. Doklady Akademii Nauk Uzbekistan SSR, 2, 23-26 (in Russian).

Comments:

Recorded on material from Carlin, Nevada, USA.

Geological EnvironmentHide

Paragenetic Mode(s):

Paragenetic Mode	Earliest Age (Ga)
Near-surface Processes
23 : Subaerial aqueous alteration by non-redox-sensitive fluids (see also #47)
Stage 7: Great Oxidation Event	<2.4
47h : [Near-surface oxidized, dehydrated minerals]

Geological Setting:

Oxidation product of carlinite in carbonaceous gold ores in silicified limestones and quartz (Carlin, Nevada, USA).

Type Occurrence of AvicenniteHide

Type Locality:

ⓘ Dzhuzumli village, Zirabulak Mountain (Zirabulakskie Mountain), Samarqand, Uzbekistan

Place of Conservation of Type Material:

n.d.

Geological Setting of Type Material:

Weathered zone of a hematite-calcite vein cutting banded marmorized and silicified limestones near a granite-gneiss contact.

Associated Minerals at Type Locality:

Hematite

'Limonite'

Reference:

Karpova, K. N., Kon'kova, E. A., Larkin, E. D. and Savel'ev, V. F. (1958): Avicennite, a new mineral. Doklady Akademii Nauk Uzbekistan SSR, 2, 23-26 (in Russian).

Other Language Names for AvicenniteHide

Dutch:Avicenniet

French:Avicennite

German:Avicennit

Norwegian:Avicennitt

Russian:Авиценнит

Simplified Chinese:褐铊矿

Spanish:Avicennita

Varieties of AvicenniteHide

Sb-rich Avicennite

Common AssociatesHide

Associations Based on Photo Data:

15 photos of Avicennite associated with 'Chert'
6 photos of Avicennite associated with Parapierrotite	TlSb₅S₈
4 photos of Avicennite associated with Quartz	SiO₂
3 photos of Avicennite associated with Tripuhyite	Fe³⁺Sb⁵⁺O₄
2 photos of Avicennite associated with Arseniosiderite	Ca₂Fe³⁺₃(AsO₄)₃O₂ · 3H₂O
2 photos of Avicennite associated with Stibiconite	Sb³⁺Sb⁵⁺₂O₆(OH)
1 photo of Avicennite associated with