THE PYRITE GROUP OF MINERALS

The Pyrite Group is composed of minerals with a similar isometric structure and related chemistry. It is named for its most common member, pyrite. The general formula for this group is AX₂. The A can be either iron, zinc, mercury, gold, cobalt, copper, manganese, nickel, osmium, iridium, palladium, platinum or ruthenium. The X can be either sulfur, arsenic, antimony, bismuth, selenium and/or tellurium. Pyrite's formula is FeS₂ for example. While this is actually a fairly large group, only pyrite is common and only a few others are even recognized by experience collectors.

• Aurostibite (Gold Antimonide)
• Cattierite (Cobalt Sulfide)
• Dzharkenite (Iron Selenide)
• Erlichmanite (Osmium Sulfide)
• Fukuchilite (Copper Iron Sulfide)
• Geversite (Platinum Antimonide)
• Hauerite (Manganese Sulfide)
• Insizwaite (Platinum Bismuthinide Antimonide)
• Krutaite (Copper Selenide)
• Laurite (Ruthenium Sulfide)
• Maslovite (Platinum Bismuth Telluride)
• Mayingite (Iridium Bismuth Telluride)
• Penroseite (Nickel Cobalt Copper Selenide)
• Pyrite (Iron Sulfide)
• Sperrylite (Platinum Arsenide)
• Testibiopalladite (Palladium Antimonide Telluride)
• Trogtalite (Cobalt Selenide)
• Vaesite (Nickel Sulfide)
• Villamaninite (Copper Nickel Cobalt Iron Sulfide)