Zharchikhite

Zharchikhite is a halide mineral, a hydroxyl fluoride of aluminium; formula AlF(OH)₂. It forms colourless, transparent crystals. Discovered in 1968, it is named after its original locality, the Zharchinskoya Deposit, which is in Buryatia, Russia.

Zharchikhite
General
Category	Halide mineral
Formula	AlF(OH)2
IMA symbol	Zha[1]
Strunz classification	3.AC.05
Crystal system	Monoclinic, pseudo-orthorhombic
Identification
Colour	Colorless
Crystal habit	Elongated prismatic cryatals, massive, drusy coatings
Cleavage	Perfect (010)
Tenacity	Very brittle
Mohs scale hardness	4.5
Luster	Vitreous
Diaphaneity	Transparent
Specific gravity	2.81
Optical properties	Biaxial (-)
Refractive index	nα = 1.532 nβ = 1.552 nγ = 1.567
Birefringence	δ = 0.035
2V angle	80° (calculated)
References	[2][3]