Hawleyite

Hawleyite
Orange-yellow earthy coating
General
CategorySulfide mineral
FormulaCdS
IMA symbolHwl
Strunz classification2.CB.05a
Crystal systemCubic
Crystal classHextetrahedral (43m)
H-M symbol: (4 3m)
Space groupF43m
Unit cella = 5.818 Å; Z = 4
Structure
Jmol (3D)Interactive image
SMILES
[SH+2]12[CdH2-2][SH+2]3[CdH2-2][SH+2]([CdH-2]14)[CdH-2]1[S+2]5([CdH-2]38)[Cd-2]26[SH+2]2[CdH-2]([S+2]4)[SH+2]1[CdH2-2][SH+2]3[CdH-2]2[S+2][CdH-2]([SH+2]6[CdH-2]([SH+2])[SH+2]68)[SH+2]([CdH2-2]6)[CdH-2]35
(SMILES input only shows in Preview. SMILES is used to create the Jmol 3D image.)
Identification
ColorBright yellow
Crystal habitPowdery massive
Mohs scale hardness2.5–3
LusterMetallic
StreakLight yellow
DiaphaneityTranslucent to opaque
Specific gravity4.87
References

Hawleyite is a rare sulfide mineral in the sphalerite group, dimorphous and easily confused with greenockite. Chemically, it is cadmium sulfide, and occurs as a bright yellow coating on sphalerite or siderite in vugs, deposited by meteoric water.

It was discovered in 1955 in the Hector-Calumet mine, Keno-Galena Hill area, Yukon Territory and named in honour of mineralogist James Edwin Hawley (1897–1965), a professor at Queen's University in Ontario, Canada.