Albertiniite, Fe2+(SO3)·3H2O, a new sulfite mineral species from the Monte Falò Pb-Zn mine, Coiromonte, Armeno Municipality, Verbano Cusio Ossola Province, Piedmont, Italy

Albertiniite, Fe2+(SO3)·3H2O, is a new Fe2+ sulfite trihydrate, related chemically to gravegliaite. It occurs at the Monte Falò Pb-Zn mine nearCoiromonte, in theArmenoMunicipality,Verbano–Cusio–Ossola Province, Italy. It is an intermediate product of oxidation between iron sulfides and sulfates, forming monoclinic, colourless to pale yellow, transparent crystals with a vitreous lustre. The mineral occurs associated with stolzite, pyromorphite, hinsdalite, plumbogummite, gibbsite, scheelite and jarosite on brittle fractures of quartz veins or chlorite-schist. Albertiniite is optically biaxial (+) with 2V(meas)≈ 40° and 2V(calc) = 66°. The measured refractive indices, using sodiumlight (589 nm) are: α = 1.612(2)°, β = 1.618(2)° and γ = 1.632(2)°. The optical axis plane is parallel to the perfect {010} cleavage plane. It is non-fluorescent under shortwave (254 nm) or longwave (366 nm) ultraviolet light. The calculated density is 2.469 g cm–3 (from the crystal-structure refinement), or 2.458 g cm–3 (from the chemical analysis and the single-crystal unit-cell parameters). The empirical formula is (average of 16 spots and based on 3 anhydrous oxygen apfu) (Fe0.774Mn0.282Ca0.001Mg0.001Na0.003)Σ1.061(S0.971O3)·2.84H2O, with the H2Ocontent calculated by difference to 100 wt.%.Albertiniite is monoclinic,with space group P21/n. Its unit-cell parameters are: a = 6.633(1), b = 8.831(1), c = 8.773(1) Å, β = 96.106(8)° and V= 511.0(1) Å3,with Z = 4. The eight strongestmeasured lines in the powder X-ray diffraction pattern are [d in Å, (I/I0), (hkl)]: 4.072 (100) (-111), 3.539 (93) (-112), 5.533 (27) (-101), 6.167 (14) (011), 2.830 (14) (211), 4.998 (14) (101), 4.353 (12) (111) and 3.897 (12) (012). The mineral, which has been approved by the CNMNC, number IMA2015-004, is named albertiniite in honour of Claudio Albertini, an Italianmineral collector and expert in the systematic mineralogy of the Alps and pegmatites.