Patrónite is the vanadium sulfide mineral with formula VS4. The material is usually described as V4+(S22−)2.[6] Structurally, it is a "linear-chain" compound with alternating bonding and nonbonding contacts between the vanadium centers. The vanadium is octa-coordinated, which is an uncommon geometry for this metal.[7]
| Patrónite | |
|---|---|
 Patronite from the Minas Ragra, Peru | |
| General | |
| Category | Sulfide mineral |
| Formula (repeating unit) | VS4 |
| IMA symbol | Pat[1] |
| Strunz classification | 2.EC.10 |
| Crystal system | Monoclinic |
| Crystal class | Prismatic (2/m) (same H-M symbol) |
| Space group | I2/c |
| Unit cell | a = 12.11 Å, b = 10.42 Å, c = 6.78 Å; β = 100.8°; Z = 8 |
| Identification | |
| Formula mass | 179.21 g/mol |
| Color | Lead-gray on fresh surfaces to gray-black after exposure to air |
| Crystal habit | Occurs as columnar crystal aggregates and in massive form |
| Cleavage | Distinct columnar |
| Mohs scale hardness | 2 |
| Luster | Metallic |
| Streak | Black |
| Diaphaneity | Opaque |
| Specific gravity | 2.82 |
| Pleochroism | Strong |
| References | [2][3][4][5] |
The mineral was first described in 1906 for an occurrence in the Minas Ragra vanadium mine near Junín, Cerro de Pasco, Peru. It was named for Peruvian metallurgist Antenor Rizo-Patron (1866–1948) the discoverer of the deposit.[3][4] At the type locality in Peru it occurs in fissures within a red shale likely derived from an asphaltum deposit. Associated minerals include, native sulfur, bravoite, pyrite, minasragrite, stanleyite, dwornikite, quartz and vanadium bearing lignite.[4] It has also been reported from the Yushkinite gorge on the Middle Silova-Yakha River on the Paikhoi Range of the polar Urals of Russia and from the Tsumeb mine in Namibia.[3]