The Cu-Bi-S System: Results from Low-Temperature Experiments

Naiding Wang
Institute of Mineralogy and Petrography, University of Heidelberg, Germany

Abstract: Low-temperature experiments in the ‘dry’ ternary Cu-Bi-S system, conducted by using sulphidation methods down to 120°C produced a new metastable solid solution series Cu10Bi2S13-Cu5Bi2S8 at 178°C coexisting with CuS. This transformed slowly at 190–200°C to an assemblage of either CuS-(Cu,Bi)8S9 or CuS-Bi2S3 or both, depending on available sulphur. Sulphidation experiments on Cu3BiS3 similarly revealed a solid solution range for the phase (Cu,Bi)8S9 of up to Cu/Bi = 3/2 at 178–190°C, and a lower stability limit of 138°C Isothermal sections of the system were constructed at 200 and 300°C, based on the new information collected but excluding the metastable series.

Keywords: Cu-Bi-S system • wittichenite • cuprobismutite • emplectite • hodrushite • low-temperature experiments

Mineralogical Magazine; June 1994 v. 58; no. 391; p. 201-204; DOI: 10.1180/minmag.1994.058.391.02
© 1994, The Mineralogical Society
Mineralogical Society (www.minersoc.org)