Secrets of Tolbachik: Russian scientists discovered a unique mineral in Kamchatka dokuchaevit

An expedition of geologists from St. Petersburg University (SPbU) discovered a new mineral in Kamchatka, dokuchaevit, named after the outstanding scientist of the XIX century, the founder of soil science Vasily Dokuchaev. The composition and crystalline structure of the find have no analogues not only among known minerals, but also among hundreds of thousands of synthetic compounds. This was reported in Mineralogical Magazine and Inorganic Chemistry. 

Since 2014, a scientific group led by Professor of St. Petersburg State University Oleg Siidra has been studying Kamchatka fumaroles - the outputs of hot steam and gas on the surface of volcanoes.

“Fumaroles on slag cones formed as a result of past eruptions of the Tolbachik volcano have a unique mineralogical diversity. Today, more than 400 of the 5500 known minerals are found here. We can say that the fumaroles of the Tolbachik volcano are a kind of Amazonian forest of the inorganic world, about 15% of all the minerals of the planet are concentrated here, ”said Oleg Siidra.

Scientists have determined that dokucaevite has a unique crystalline structure and composition of Cu8O2 (VO4) 3Cl3, which has no analogues among natural and synthesized compounds. Studies have shown that in the structure of the new mineral, copper atoms are surrounded by oxygen and chlorine.

• The new mineral Dokuchaevit is named after the outstanding Russian scientist of the XIX century Vasily Dokuchaev
• © Saint Petersburg State University

Previously, geologists note, the number of diverse options for such combinations in the rocks was not fixed. They also found unusual structures in the structure of dokuchaevite - oxocentric copper complexes of a tetrahedral structure.

“The presence in the structure of such fragments formed by magnetic copper ions allows us to consider this mineral, as well as some other fumarole minerals, as a potential source of interesting magnetic materials with various applications in practice. It is believed that such materials in the near future will find application in the creation of quantum computers, ”said Professor Siidra.

According to the results of crystal-chemical analysis and to study the subtle physical features of dokuchaevite, St. Petersburg researchers began work on the synthesis of an analog of this mineral.