Sulfosalt minerals are sulfide minerals with the general formula , where
A represents a metal such as copper, lead, silver, iron, and rarely mercury, zinc, vanadium
B usually represents semi-metal such as arsenic, antimony, bismuth, and rarely germanium, or metals like tin and rarely vanadium
X is sulfur or rarely selenium and/or tellurium.
The Strunz classification includes the sulfosalts in a sulfides and sulfosalts superclass. A group which have similar appearing formulas are the sulfarsenides (for example cobaltite (Co,Fe)AsS). In sulfarsenides the arsenic substitutes for sulfide anions whereas in the sulfosalts the arsenic substitutes for a metal cation.
About 200 sulfosalt minerals are known. Examples include:
File:Proustite (long prismatic crystal) - Chanarcillo, Copiapo Province, Atacama Region, Chile.jpg|As illustrated by this specimen of [[proustite]], sulfosalt minerals are often deeply colored.
type
Pyrargyrite
Proustite
Tetrahedrite
Tennantite
type
Enargite
Sulvanite
Samsonite
Geocronite
Gratonite
type
Bournonite
Seligmannite
Aikinite
type
Boulangerite
Matildite
Smithite
Chalcostibite
Emplectite
Teallite
type
Ramdohrite
Jamesonite
Cosalite
type
Andorite
Lindstromite
type
Zinkenite
Berthierite
Cylindrite
IMA-CNMNC proposes a new hierarchical scheme (Mills et al., 2009). This list uses the Classification of Nickel–Strunz (mindat.org, 10 ed, pending publication).
Abbreviations:
"*" - discredited (IMA/CNMNC status).
"?" - questionable/doubtful (IMA/CNMNC status).
"REE" - Rare-earth element (Sc, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu)
"PGE" - Platinum-group element (Ru, Rh, Pd, Os, Ir, Pt)
03.C Aluminofluorides, 06 Borates, 08 Vanadates (04.H V[5,6] Vanadates), 09 Silicates:
Neso: insular (from Greek νῆσος nēsos, island)
Soro: grouping (from Greek σωρός sōros, heap, mound (especially of corn))
Cyclo: ring (from Greek κύκλος kyklos, wheel, ring, round)
Ino: chain (from Greek ἴς [genitive: ἰνός inos], fibre)
Phyllo: sheet (from Greek φύλλον phyllon, leaf)
Tekto: three-dimensional framework (from Greek stem τεκτ- tekt- in words having to do with carpentry)
Nickel–Strunz code scheme: NN.