Proto-Djurleite, a metastable form of cuprous sulphide

✍ Scribed by Dr. B. J. Mulder

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1973
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 449 KB
• Volume: 8
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0232-1300
• DOI: 10.1002/crat.19730080708

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

In a study of thin single crystals of cuprous sulphide we found that the high‐temperature hexagonal form of chalcosite (Cu~2~S) can be metastable with respect both to temperature (supercooling) and to composition. In reversible equilibrium with the metastable chalcosite a second metastable phase is formed, resembling djurleite (Cu~1.96~S), which we propose to call proto‐djurleite. When cooled to a critical temperature the crystal suddenly reverts to a mixture of the stable low‐temperature forms of chalcosite and djurleite. The boundaries of the metastable two‐phase region have been determined between its upper temperature limit, which is 93 °C, and 75 °C.