Zvyagintsevite Locality: Konder (Kondyor) alkaline-ultrabasic massif (Konder placiers; Konder mine), Aldan shield, Ayan-Maya district, Khabarovskiy Kray, Far-Eastern Region, Russia ( Locality at mindat.org ) Size: thumbnail, 0.5 x 0.5 x 0.2 cm Zvyagintsevite An extremely sharp crystal of the rare platinum group mineral Zvyagintsevite (platinum, palladium, gold-containing!). It is complete all around. This specimen was formerly in the isometric thumbnails competition case of my mentor, Carlton Davis of Columbus , Ohio. — Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0
Zvyagintsevite
Zvyagintsevite is an IMA-recognized mineral species in the native element class, with the chemical formula Pd₃Pb.
It crystallizes in the cubic crystal system (space group Pm3m). It is a member of the Perovskite, Auricupride structural group.
Key properties: specific gravity 13.32; Black streak; Metallic. R: (400) —, (420) —, (440) 62.0, (460) 63.3, (480) 63.0, (500) 63.7, (520) 64.6, (540) 65.5, (560) 66.7 luster.
IMA symbol Zv, IMA status: approved, named in 1966.
Occurs as small irregular grains and veinlets in copper sulfides, in association with differentiated gabbro-diabase intrusives (Noril’sk region, Russia).
It is found associated with Pt–Fe alloy, polarite, talnakhite, cubanite, pentlandite, magnetite, valleriite, Ag–Au alloy (Noril’sk region, Russia).
The name refers to Professor Orest Evgen’evich Zvyagintsev (1894–1967), who did geochemical research on the platinum metals, Institute of General andInorganic Chemistry, Moscow, Russia.