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sperrylite

noun
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sper·​ry·​lite | \ ˈsper-i-ˌlīt How to pronounce sperrylite (audio) \

Definition of sperrylite

: a mineral consisting of an arsenide of platinum

First Known Use of sperrylite

1889, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for sperrylite

Francis Louis Sperry †1906 American chemist and metallurgist + -lite

Note: Named by American chemist and geologist Horace L. Wells (1855-1924) in "Sperrylite, a new Mineral," American Journal of Science, 3rd series, vol. 38, no. 217 (January, 1889), pp. 67-70. Sperry, born in Ohio in 1861 and at the time working as a chemist for the Canadian Copper Company in Sudbury, Ontario, procured the samples of the mineral that Wells described.

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The first known use of sperrylite was in 1889

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Cite this Entry

“Sperrylite.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sperrylite. Accessed 10 December 2019.

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