So called in honor of Professor W. Nowacki (1909-1988) Swiss crystallographer, director of the Department of Crystallography and Structural Studies of the Institute of Mineralogy and Petrography of the University of Bern and mineralogist who has determined the crystal structure of most of the Lengenbach sulfosalts. Nowackiite, was discovered by J. Imhof in 1964, when he sent a sample to W. Nowacki of sphalerite in dolomite containing 10 microcrystals of a mineral unknown on the sphalerite.
The study of these crystals showed that these crystals were of a new mineral.
Also, W. Nowacki showed that alpha-trechmannite described by Solly and nowackiite were the same species. Nowackiite, trigonal, was the only zinc-containing Lengenbach sulfosalt known until the recent discovery of stalderite, which also contains zinc in its composition. The crystals are isometric, lead-gray tending to black and are formed on the sphalerite. It is one of the rarest species of the quarry, since it has been found only in 3 specimens.
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