448 wherry: native element minerals 



Many minerals consist of isomorphous mixtures of two or 

 more elements. Two different methods of deriving names for 

 these have been used in the past : first, by combining the names 

 of the elements present, as selentellurium for selenium-bearing 

 tellurium, platiniridium for platinum-bearing iridium, and 

 nickeliron for nickel-bearing iron; and second, by introducing 

 arbitrary or special terms, as volcanite for selenium-bearing sul- 

 fur, sisserskite for iridium-bearing osmium, and porpezite for 

 palladium-bearing gold. As one element is almost invariably 

 greatly in excess over the others, these should be regarded as 

 varieties, rather than elevated to the rank of species. It is, 

 further, believed to be highly desirable that species and varie- 

 ties be distinguished by the terminology applied to them. As 

 arbitrary or special names, including in this case the names of 

 chemical elements, are generally accepted as appropriate for 

 species, it is thought that their application to varieties should be 

 discouraged, and such names as volcanite, sisserskite, and por- 

 pezite be discarded. 



The use of chemical prefixes with species names in general is 

 also objectionable because of the resulting inconsistencies and 

 ambiguities, as emphasized by Prof. A. F. Rogers; 2 to this the 

 native elements are no exception. For example, the mineral 

 termed allemontite by Haidinger in 1845, a variety of arsenic 

 containing a small amount of isomorphous antimony, has been 

 called antimonarsenic by some mineralogists, and arsenantimony 

 by others. When two diametrically opposed terms are thus 

 applied to a single substance, it is evident that neither can be re- 

 garded as clearly expressing its nature, or accepted to the exclu- 

 sion of others. Many other minerals, as amalgam, iridosmine, 

 awaruite, etc., show similar confusion in their nomenclature. 



To simplify matters and to make the terms as unambiguous as 

 possible, the plan recommended by Professor Rogers in the paper 

 cited is favored : that all varieties due to isomorphism be named 

 by means of adjectives, formed by adding the suffix iferous to 

 the names of the elements present in smaller amounts (the 

 names being put in the Latin form when necessary for euphony) . 



2 Proc. Am. Phil. Soc, 52: 610. 1913. 



