Bortnikovite

Chemical formula: Pd<sub>4</sub>Cu<sub>3</sub>Zn

Bortnikovite is a rare copper, palladium, and zinc alloy, forming microscopic, metallic grains in ultramafic rocks.

## Characteristics Bortnikovite is a rare mineral from the metal alloy group. It occurs as anhedral (irregular) grains not exceeding 150 micrometers in size. It is usually intergrown with other minerals, mainly atokite. When observed in reflected light, it has a creamy-white color with a slight pinkish tint. ## Physical Properties As an opaque mineral, bortnikovite is characterized by a strong, metallic luster. Its hardness and other physical properties, such as density, have not been precisely measured due to the microscopic size of the grains and the lack of sufficiently large material for study. The density calculated based on the chemical formula and unit cell parameters is 11.13 g/cm³. ## History and Name The mineral was discovered in the Pados-Tundra deposit in the Murmansk Oblast on the Kola Peninsula in Russia. Approved by the International Mineralogical Association (IMA) in 2007, it was named in honor of Professor Nikolai S. Bortnikov (born 1946), a Russian geologist and director of the Institute of Geology of Ore Deposits, Petrography, Mineralogy, and Geochemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, for his contributions to the study of mineral deposits.

Properties

Luster
Metallic
Density
11.13
Cleavage
None
Transparency
Opaque
Crystal system
Cubic

Diagnostic features

## Identification Identification of bortnikovite is possible only with advanced laboratory techniques. It requires analysis under a reflected light ore microscope and confirmation of chemical composition using an electron microprobe (EDS/WDS). Its characteristic feature is a creamy-white color with a pinkish tint. ## Distinguishing from Similar Minerals Under the microscope, bortnikovite can be confused with other platinum-group metal alloys, such as atokite, rustenburgite, or zvyagintsevite, with which it often co-occurs. Certain differentiation requires quantitative chemical analysis, which will show the dominance of palladium, copper, and zinc in appropriate proportions. ## Crystal Forms Bortnikovite forms exclusively microscopic, anhedral (irregular) grains, often as inclusions in other minerals. No well-formed crystals have been observed.

Geological environment

## Genesis Bortnikovite forms as a result of magmatic processes within differentiated ultramafic and mafic intrusions. It crystallizes from residual, platinum-group element (PGE)-enriched sulfide melts in the late stages of magma solidification. ## Mineral Associations This mineral occurs in close association with other platinum-group minerals and sulfides. It is most often accompanied by atokite, rustenburgite, zvyagintsevite, as well as chalcopyrite, bornite, pentlandite, and magnetite. ## Localities The only confirmed locality of bortnikovite in the world (type locality) is the Pados-Tundra deposit, part of the Fedorovo-Pana massif, located on the Kola Peninsula in Russia.

Rarity

Extremely rare

For collectors

## Quality Criteria Bortnikovite does not occur in macroscopic specimens and is not traded on the collector's market. Its value is purely scientific. The only form in which it can enter specialized institutional collections are polished microscopic thin sections or rock fragments from the Pados-Tundra deposit, in which its presence has been analytically confirmed.

Care and storage

## Cleaning Due to its microscopic size and occurrence as inclusions in other minerals, individual bortnikovite specimens are not cleaned. Cleaning applies to the entire rock or polished thin section in which the mineral is found. ## What to Avoid Avoid contact with strong acids, which can react with the metallic surface of the mineral and the host rock. Polished surfaces should be protected from scratching. ## Storage Specimens (most often in the form of polished microscopic thin sections or rock fragments) should be stored in a dry place, in specialized boxes or display cases, to protect them from dust and mechanical damage.

Sources

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