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Lianbinite, (NH4)(C2H3O3)(C2H4O3), a new glycolate mineral from the Santa Catalina Mountains, Tucson, Arizona, U.S.A

  • Hexiong Yang EMAIL logo , Xiangping Gu ORCID logo , Warren Lazar , Ronald B. Gibbs and Robert T. Downs
Published/Copyright: September 11, 2025
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American Mineralogist
From the journal American Mineralogist Volume 110 Issue 9

Abstract

A new organic mineral species, lianbinite, ideally (NH4)(C2H3O3)(C2H4O3), was discovered from the western end of Pusch Ridge in the Santa Catalina Mountains, north of Tucson, Arizona, U.S.A. It occurs as bladed or acicular crystals, associated with baryte, fluorite, glecklerite, jarosite, jimkrieghite, quartz, and rasmussenite. Lianbinite is colorless, transparent with a white streak and vitreous luster. It is brittle and has a Mohs hardness of 1–1½; cleavage is perfect on {100}. No parting or twinning was observed. The calculated density is 1.497 g/cm3. The chemical composition of lianbinite was determined with a Thermo Finnigan DELT Aplus XL Elemental Combustion System equipped with a mass spectrometer, yielding an empirical formula (N0.98H4.06)(C1.98H3O3)(C1.99H3O3), or N0.98C3.97H11.06O6, on the basis of 6 O apfu.

Lianbinite is the natural counterpart of synthetic (NH4)(C2H3O3)(C2H4O3), which is isostructural with synthetic K(C2H3O3)(C2H4O3) and Rb(C2H3O3)(C2H4O3). It is monoclinic with space group P21/c, and unit-cell parameters a = 3.91305(11), b = 18.7499(4), c = 10.7214(2) Å, β = 107.444(2)°, V = 750.45(3) Å3, and Z = 4. The crystal structure of lianbinite contains two forms of glycolate units: glycolate anions (GAs) and glycolic acid molecules (GMs). These two units are linked together by hydrogen bonds to form a three-dimensional network with two kinds of channels extending along [100]. The large channel is surrounded by O atoms, with (NH4)+ groups situated inside, whereas the small one is enclosed by H atoms. The discovery of lianbinite, together with eight other glycolate minerals documented thus far, implies that glycolate minerals may be rather widespread in nature, thus serving as a potential reservoir for biologically fixed carbon.

Keywords: Lianbinite; organic mineral; glycolate; crystal structure; X-ray diffraction; Santa Catalina Mountains

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to A.R. Kampf and an anonymous reviewer for their constructive comments.

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Received: 2024-08-26
Accepted: 2025-02-06
Published Online: 2025-09-11
Published in Print: 2025-09-25

© 2025 Mineralogical Society of America

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https://doi.org/10.2138/am-2024-9587
Keywords for this article
Lianbinite; organic mineral; glycolate; crystal structure; X-ray diffraction; Santa Catalina Mountains

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Highlights and Breakthroughs
  2. Revisiting the importance of clay minerals in rock varnish
  3. Formation and transformation of clay minerals in Mars-analog rock varnish
  4. Reconstructing volatile evolution in melts using zircon-hosted apatite inclusions: Implications for the use of apatite as a fertility indicator
  5. Vesuvianite as a key tool for the reconstruction of skarn formation conditions: An example from the Sauce Chico Complex, Argentina
  6. Germanium oxidation state and substitution mechanism in Ge-rich sphalerite from MVT deposits: Constraints from X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) and geometric optimization
  7. Enrichment mechanism of heavy rare earth elements in magmatic-hydrothermal titanite: Insights from SXAS/XPS experiments and first-principles calculations and implications for regolith-hosted HREE deposits
  8. Thorite: An oddity in phase stability among the zircon-structured orthosilicates at high pressures
  9. High P-T single-crystal elasticity of zircon by Brillouin spectroscopy
  10. Berndlehmannite: A new V-bearing sulfide mineral from the black-shale-hosted Zhongcun vanadium deposit, South China
  11. In situ Raman spectroscopic investigation on the phase transition of grunerite at high pressures
  12. Silicate liquid immiscibility in the Chang’e 5 lunar mare magmas: Constraints on the petrogenesis of lunar granitic rocks
  13. The high-pressure, vacancy-stabilized component in clinopyroxenes
  14. Lianbinite, (NH4)(C2H3O3)(C2H4O3), a new glycolate mineral from the Santa Catalina Mountains, Tucson, Arizona, U.S.A
  15. Mariakrite, [Ca4Al2(OH)12(H2O)4][Fe2S4]: A new mineral and the first layered double hydroxide intercalated with dithioferrate (iron disulfide) chains
  16. New Mineral Names
  17. Book Review
  18. Book Review: Rings of Fire: How an Unlikely Team of Scientists, Ex-Cons, Women, and Native Americans helped win World War II
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