Oxidation of Cr3+ into CrO42− (from chromite) and decomposition of galena (or other primary lead minerals) are required for crocoite formation. These conditions are relatively unusual. As crocoite is composed of lead(II) chromate, it is toxic, containing both lead and hexavalent chromium.
How did crocoite get its name?
Name: Originally recognized by Mikhail Vassil'evich Lomonosov in 1763 as a red lead ore. Johann Gottlob Lehmann in 1766 named it Nova Minera Plumbi. ... The name crocoite comes from the Greek κρόκος "crocon" = saffron, alluding to the saffron-orange color of its powder.
Is crocoite a rare mineral?
Crocoite, a lead chromate of intense red-orange colour, is a rare mineral whose world's best Australian locality is confined to only a few mines at Dundas, on the west coast of Tasmania.
