Organiczne związki miedzi w łupkach miedzionośnych obszaru Lubina i Polkowic

Abstract

ORGANIC COPPER COMPOUNDS IN COPPER-BEARING SHALES IN THE LUBIN-POLKOWICE AREA Summary The studies on organic matter in copper ore deposits in the Fore-Sudetic Monocline and its relations to copper mineralization showed that elements such as Cu, Ag, Zn, Co, Ni, Fe, Al, Ca, Mg, Si and V occur in amounts from 0.0008 to 0.8% in extracts of chloroform hydrocarbons obtained from copper ore samples. This suggested that these metals and organic matter may here form some chemical compounds. Such possibility was also suggested by increased content of these elements in samples enriched in organic coal. In order to test the hypothesis, chemical composition of copper ore samples and quantitative ratios of individual components were carefully established. Excess of copper in relation to sulfur was evaluated (Table 1 ). It was assumed here that sulfide sulfur (Ss) after subtracting pyrite sulfur (Spir) should represent sulfur bound with copper (Scu). The possibility of presence of copper in carbonate and sulfate compounds was rejected as the relevant anions are here present in amounts indispensable for binding calcium and magnesium oxides. Macro- (Table 2) and microscopic studies of the samples showed that copper in bound in chalcosine, bornite and chalcopyrite which corresponds to the copper-to-sulfur ratios 2:1, 1.25:1 and 0.5:1. The obtained values of the ratios for individual samples, especially those over 2.0, suggest that a part of copper is bound in the ore in other ways than in the sulfid phases. The established positive (±15) index of viscosity for oils boiling at temperature over 300°C (4, 6) is typical of organic matter with mixed sapropel-humus composition. This suggests the possibility of occurrence of humus compounds, e.g. humus acids which bind copper in the form of their salts - copper humins - in the ore. Bitumens obtained from chloroform extracts with the use of dioxane, were chromatographically separated and, subsequently, hydrocarbon groups were identified (4, 5, 6) and spectrographic analysis of inorganic elements made. The bitumens were found to yield up to 0.03% of copper, present in organometallic compounds.