Argentite, a mineral which belongs to the galena group, is cubic silver sulfide (Ag₂S). It is occasionally found as uneven cubes and octahedra, but more often as dendritic or earthy masses, with a blackish lead-grey color and metallic lustre. The cubic cleavage, which is so prominent a feature in galena, here present only in traces. The mineral is perfectly sectile and has a shining streak; hardness 2.5, specific gravity 7.3. It occurs in mineral veins, and when found in large masses, as in is Mexico and in the Comstock Lode in Nevada, it forms an important ore of silver. The mineral was mentioned 1529 by G. Agricola, but the name argentite (from the Lat. argentum, silver) was not used till 1845 and is due to W. Haidinger. Old names for the species are Glaserz, silver-glance and vitreous silver. A cupriferous variety, from Jalpa in Mexico, is known as jalpaite. This article is about minerals in the geologic sense; for nutrient minerals see dietary mineral; for the band see Mineral (band). ... Galena is a lead ore. ... General Name, Symbol, Number silver, Ag, 47 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 5, d Appearance lustrous white metal Atomic mass 107. ... In chemistry, a sulfide (sulphide in British and Canadian English) is a chemical compound or combination of sulfur with an oxidation number of -2, with another chemical element or a radical thereof. ... Cube may denote one of the following. ... An octahedron (plural: octahedra) is a polyhedron with eight faces. ... Cleaveage, in mineralogy, is the tendency of crystalline materials to split along definite planes, creating smooth surfaces, of which there are several named types: Basal cleavage: cleavage parallel to the base of a crystal, or to the plane of the lateral axes. ... The Comstock Lode was a massive body of silver ore discovered under what is now Virginia City, Nevada in 1859. ... State nickname: Silver State, Battle Born State (official) Other U.S. States Capital Carson City Largest city Las Vegas Governor Kenny Guinn (R) Official languages None Area 286,367 km² (7th)  - Land 284,396 km²  - Water 1,971 km² (0. ... An ore is a mineral deposit containing a metal or other valuable resource in economically viable concentrations. ... Events April 22 - Treaty of Saragossa divides the eastern hemisphere between Spain and Portugal, stipulating that the dividing line should lie 297. ... Georg Agricola Georg (or Georgius) Agricola (March 24, 1490 - November 21, 1555) was a German scholar and man of science. ... Latin is the language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... 1845 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Wilhelm Karl, Ritter von Haidinger (February 5, 1795 - March 19, 1871), was an Austrian mineralogist, geologist and physicist. ...

Acanthite, also Ag₂S, crystallizes in the monoclinic system and is the stable form below 177^oC. As argentite cools below that temperature its cubic form is distorted to the monclinic form of acanthite. In crystallography, the monoclinic crystal system is one of the 7 lattice point groups. ...

External links

• Mindat.org
• Webmineral.org

This article incorporates text from the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, which is in the public domain. Supporters contend that the Eleventh Edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica (1911) represents, in many ways, the sum of knowledge at the beginning of the 20th century. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ...