Synthetic mitscherlichite crystals (K,NH 4 ) 2 CuCl 4 .2H 2 O grown from aqueous solution. Photo taken under microscope. The millimeter paper shows the size scale. — Photo: Perditax · CC0
Mitscherlichite
Potassium tetrachloridocuprate(II) describes salts with chemical formula K2CuCl4(H2O)2. It is a greenish blue solid. This form also occurs naturally as the rare mineral mitscherlichite.
Intro adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
Mitscherlichite is an IMA-recognized mineral species in the halide class, with the chemical formula K₂CuCl₄·2H₂O.
It crystallizes in the tetragonal crystal system (space group P4_2/mnm).
Key properties: Mohs hardness 2.5; specific gravity 2.418; Vitreous luster; optically uniaxial.
IMA symbol Mits, grandfathered status — known before the IMA’s founding, named in 1925.
A volcanic sublimate (Vesuvius, Italy); an alteration product of ponomarevite (Tolbachik volcano, Russia).
It is found associated with Sylvite, metavoltine, gypsum (Vesuvius, Italy); ponomarevite, tolbachite, dolerophanite, piypite, chalcocyanite, halite, sylvite, tenorite (Tolbachik volcano.
The mineral was named to honor Eilhardt Mitscherlich (1794–1863), German crystallographer and chemist, who first synthesized the compound.