Miassite is a mineral made of rhodium and sulfur, with the stoichometric formula Rh
17
S
15
. It was named after the Miass River in the Urals.[1] It is a superconductor and an unconventional superconductor. Naturally occurring miassite is too brittle, so it is made in a lab for superconductor research.[2]

General
CategoryMineral
Formula
(repeating unit)
Rh17S15
IMA symbolMia
Strunz classification2.BC.05
Crystal systemcubic
Crystal classPm3n
Unit cella = 10.024 V=1,007.22 Å3
Structure
Identification
Colourlight grey
Tenacitybrittle
Mohs scale hardness5-6
Lustermetallic
DiaphaneityOpaque
Density7.42
Solubilityinsoluble

Its ability to be an unconventional superconductor was discovered at Ames National Laboratory in 2024. [3]

Miassite, covellite, parkerite, and palladseite, occur in nature, and are also made in labs as superconductors. Miassite is the only one found to also have unconventional superconductivity. [4]

References

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  1. ^ "Miassite".
  2. ^ "A Superconductor Found in Nature Has Rocked the Scientific World". Popular Mechanics. 2024-03-19. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
  3. ^ "Scientists reveal the first unconventional superconductor that can be found in mineral form in nature". MSN.
  4. ^ "A Superconductor Found in Nature Has Rocked the Scientific World". Popular Mechanics. 2024-03-19. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
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