Khatyrkite
A copper aluminium alloy, found with the first natural quasicrystals in the Khatyrka meteorite.
Key facts
- Formula
- CuAl2
- Family
- Metals and alloys
- Crystal system
- Tetragonal
- First described
- grains from the Khatyrka area, Chukotka, 1985
Khatyrkite was described in 1985 from grains found in the Koryak Mountains of Chukotka, Russia, and was named after the Khatyrka River. At first it was thought to be a terrestrial mineral; only after 2009 was the same material shown to be part of the Khatyrka meteorite.
What it is
Khatyrkite is an intermetallic compound: a metal alloy with a fixed ratio of atoms, here one copper to two aluminium, in an ordered crystal structure. Metallic aluminium almost never occurs in nature, because aluminium combines eagerly with oxygen, so its presence demands unusual conditions.
Where it is found
It occurs with cupalite, icosahedrite and other alloys in the Khatyrka CV3 chondrite. The alloys appear to have formed when a collision in space melted and then quickly cooled metal-rich material.
How it is recognised
It is identified by its composition with the electron microprobe and by X-ray diffraction.
Did you know?
The quasicrystal search that solved khatyrkite's origin began with a sample labelled khatyrkite in a museum collection.
Its formula is the same as that of a strengthening phase in some aluminium alloys used for aircraft.