Tenorite

General
Category| Oxide mineral
Formula
(repeating unit)| CuO
Strunz classification| 4.AB.10
Crystal system| Monoclinic
Crystal class| Prismatic (2/m)
(same H-M symbol)
Space group| C2/c
Unit cell| a = 4.6837(5) Å
b = 3.4226(5) Å
c = 5.1288(6) Å; β = 99.47°; Z = 4
Identification
Color| Steel-gray, iron-gray, black
Crystal habit| Lathlike crystals, curved, scaly, dendritic; commonly pulverulent, earthy, massive
Twinning| Common on {011}, forming stellate groups; lamellar
Cleavage| Poor to indistinct
Fracture| Conchoidal to uneven
Tenacity| Brittle; flexible and elastic in thin scales
Mohs scale hardness| 3.5–4
|re|er}}| Metallic to earthy
Streak| Black
Diaphaneity| Opaque, thin flakes transparent
Specific gravity| 6.5
Optical properties| Biaxial (+)
Pleochroism| Distinct; light to dark brown
References| [1][2][3]

Tenorite, sometimes also called Black Copper, is a copper oxide mineral with the chemical formula CuO. The chemical name is Copper(II) oxide or cupric oxide.

## Occurrence

Tenorite with azurite from Nischne Tagilsk, Urals, Russia

Tenorite occurs in the weathered or oxidized zone associated with deeper primary copper sulfide orebodies. Tenorite commonly occurs with chrysocolla and the copper carbonates, azurite and malachite. The dull grey-black color of tenorite contrasts sharply with the often intergrown blue chrysocolla. Cuprite, native copper and Fe–Mn oxides also occur in this environment.[1]

In addition to the hydrothermal, tenorite also occurs as a volcanic sublimate from Vesuvius, Campania, and Etna, Sicily, Italy. As a sublimate it occurs with copper chlorides, alkali chlorides and cotunnite.[1] The Vesuvian sublimate occurrence was originally named melaconise or melaconite by F. S. Beudant in 1832.[5]

Tenorite was named in 1841 after the Italian botanist Michele Tenore (1780–1861).[3]

## See also

* Cuprite Cu2O
* List of minerals
* List of minerals named after people

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Handbook of Mineralogy
2. ↑ Webmineral data
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Mindat
4. ↑ Warr, L.N. (2021). "IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols". Mineralogical Magazine 85 (3): 291–320. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43. Bibcode: 2021MinM...85..291W.
5. ↑ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press

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