Middlebackite is an organic mineral with the formula Cu2C2O4(OH)2. It was first discovered within a boulder from the Iron Monarch quarry in South Australia in June 1990.[2] Peter Elliott from the University of Adelaide, Australia, identified the structure of the mineral 25 years later. He determined its crystal structure through single-crystal X-ray diffraction using synchrotron radiation. Elliot named the mineral for the Middleback Range where it originated.[3] In 2018 middlebackite was found in Val di Fiemme, Italy, during researches that brought to the discovery of a new mineral named fiemmeite.[4]

Middlebackite
General
CategoryOrganic mineral
Formula
(repeating unit)
Cu2C2O4(OH)2
IMA symbolMbk[1]
Crystal systemMonoclinic
Crystal class2/m - Prismatic
Identification
ColorTurquoise

Localities

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References

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  1. ^ Warr, L.N. (2021). "IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols". Mineralogical Magazine. 85 (3): 291–320. Bibcode:2021MinM...85..291W. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43. S2CID 235729616.
  2. ^ "Middlebackite: Middlebackite mineral information and data". www.mindat.org. Retrieved 2017-09-01.
  3. ^ "Carbon Mineral Challenge Update Spring 2016: Four New Minerals Found". Carbon Mineral Challenge. Retrieved 2017-09-01.
  4. ^ Demartin, Francesco; Campostrini, Italo; Ferretti, Paolo; Rocchetti, Ivano (2018). "Fiemmeite Cu2(C2O4)(OH)2∙2H2O, a New Mineral from Val di Fiemme, Trentino, Italy". Minerals. 8 (6): 248. doi:10.3390/min8060248. hdl:2434/583094.