Pirquitasite, Ag₂ZnSnS₄

Pirquitasite, ideally Ag2ZnSnS4 (disilver zinc tin tetrasulfide), exhibits tetragonal symmetry and is a member of the stannite group that has the general formula A2BCX 4, with A = Ag, Cu; B = Zn, Cd, Fe, Cu, Hg; C = Sn, Ge, Sb, As; and X = S, Se. In this study, single-crystal X-ray diffraction data are used to determine the structure of pirquitasite from a twinned crystal from the type locality, the Pirquitas deposit, Jujuy Province, Argentina, with anisotropic displacement parameters for all atoms, and a measured composition of (Ag1.87Cu0.13)(Zn0.61Fe0.36Cd0.03)SnS4. One Ag atom is located on Wyckoff site Wyckoff 2a (symmetry -4..), the other Ag atom is statistically disordered with minor amounts of Cu and is located on 2c (-4..), the (Zn, Fe, Cd) site on 2d (-4..), Sn on 2b (-4..), and S on general site 8g. This is the first determination of the crystal structure of pirquitasite, and our data indicate that the space group of pirquitasite is I-4, rather than I-42m as previously suggested. The structure was refined under consideration of twinning by inversion [twin ratio of the components 0.91 (6):0.09 (6)].