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Description
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Azurite is a soft, deep blue copper mineral produced by weathering of copper ore deposits.
This mineral is one of the two basic copper(II) carbonate minerals, the other being bright green malachite.
Azurite is unstable in open air with respect to malachite, and often is pseudomorphically replaced by malachite. This was used for blue pigment in ancient times. Azurite is destroyed by heat, losing carbon dioxide and water to form black, powdery copper(II) oxide. Characteristic of a carbonate, specimens effervesce upon treatment with hydrochloric acid. |
Azurite
