Thermochemistry of synthetic clinopyroxenes on the join CaMgSi2O6-Mg2Si2O6

Enthalpies of solution of synthetic clinopyroxenes on the join CaMgSi₂O₆-Mg₂Si₂O₆ have been measured in a melt of composition Pb₂B₂O₅ at 970 K. Most of the measurements were made on samples crystallized at 1600°–1700°C and 30 kbar pressure, which covered the range 0–78 mole per cent Mg₂Si₂O₆, and whose X-ray patterns could be satisfactorily indexed on the diopside (C2/c) structure. For the reaction: Mg₂Si₂O₆→-Mg₂Si₂O₆ enstatite diopside the present data, in conjunction with previous and new measurements on Mg₂Si₂O₆ enstatite, determine ΔH° ~ 2 kcal and W_H (regular solution parameter) ~ 7 kcal. These values are in good agreement with those deduced by Saxena and Nehru (1975) from a study of high temperature, high pressure phase equilibrium data under the assumption that the excess entropy of mixing is small, but, in light of the recent theoretical treatment of Navrotsky and Loucks (1977, Phys. Chem. Min.1, 109–127), the meanings of these parameters may be ambiguous.Heat of solution measurements on Ca-rich binary diopsides made by annealing glasses at 1358°C in air gave slighter higher values than the higher temperature high pressure samples. This may be evidence for some (Ca, Mg) disorder of the sort postulated by Navrotsky and Loucks (1977, Phys. Chem. Min.1, 109–127), although no differences in heat of solution dependent on synthesis temperature in the range 1350°–1700°C could be found in stoichiometric CaMgSi₂O₆.     

Ionic conductivity in sodium magnesium silicates

Na₂MgSiO₄ crystals prepared hydrothermally at 700° C and 3,000 atm are related to carnegieite with SG Pmn2₁, a=7.015(2), b=10.968(2), and c=5.260(1). Na conductivity in Na₂MgSiO₄ is 3.0×10^?5 (ohm-cm)^?1 at 300° C but can be raised to 1.1×10^?3 (ohm-cm)^?1 by creating Na vacancies in the composition Na_1.9Mg_0.9Al_0.1O₄. Na₄Mg₂Si₃O₁₀ is also a cristobalite-related carnegieite with the orthorhombic cell a=10.584(7), b=14.328(7), and c=5.233(5). The Na conductivity of Na₄Mg₂Si₃O₁₀ is 4.8×10^?3 (ohm-cm)^?1 at 300° C.     

Thermodynamic properties of Fe-rich smectite-nontronite

The results of thermochemical studies are reported for nontronite samples from the Pinares-de-Majari (Eastern Cuba) (Sample I) and Kempirsai serpentine massif (South Urals, Kazakhstan) (Sample II). The enthalpies of formation of dehydrated hydroxyl-bearing nontronites from elements were determined by melt dissolution calorimetry using high-temperature heat-flux Tiana-Calvet microcalorimeter: Δ _f H _el ^o (298.15 K): ?4958 ± 13 kJ/mol for Mg_0.4(Fe _1.5 ³⁺ Mg_0.4Ni_0.1)[Si_3.7Al_0.3O₁₀](OH)₂ (I) and ?5003.6 ± 8.0 kJ/mol for Mg_0.3Na_0.1Ca_0.1(Fe _1.4 ³⁺ Mg_0.5Ni_0.1)[Si_3.7Al_0.3O₁₀](OH)₂ (II). It was determined experimentally that the enthalpy of dehydration (removal of molecular adsorption and interlayer water) of the studied nontronites is 6 ± 2 kJ per 1 mole H₂O. The enthalpy of formation of nontronite of theoretical composition Mg_0.15Fe ₂ ³⁺ [Si_3.7Al_0.3]O₁₀(OH)₂ was estimated at ?4750 kJ/mol. The Gibbs free energies of formation of the nontronites were calculated.     

Thermochemical study of natural montmorillonite

The paper reports results of an experimental thermochemical study (in a heat-flux Tian-Calvet microcalorimeter) of montmorillonite from (I) the Taganskoe and (II) Askanskoe deposits and (III) from the caldera of Uzon volcano, Kamchatka. The enthalpy of formation Δ _f H _el ⁰ (298.15 K) of dehydrated hydroxyl-bearing montmorillonite was determined by melt solution calorimetry: ?5677.6 ± 7.6 kJ/mol for Na_0.3Ca_0.1(Mg_0.4Al_1.6)[Si_3.9Al_0.1O₁₀](OH)₂ (I), ?5614.3 ± 7.0 kJ/mol for Na_0.4K_0.1(Ca_0.1Mg_0.3Al_1.5Fe _0.1 ³⁺ )[Si_3.9Al_0.1O₁₀](OH)₂ (II), ?5719 ± 11 kJ/mol for K_0.1Ca_0.2Mg_0.2(Mg_0.6Al_1.3Fe _0.1 ³⁺ ) [Si_3.7Al_0.3O10](OH)₂ (III), and ?6454 ± 11 kJ/mol for water-bearing montmorillonite (I) Na_0.3Ca_0.1(Mg_0.4Al_1.6)[Si_3.9Al_0.1O₁₀](OH)₂ · 2.6H₂O. The paper reports estimated enthalpy of formation for the smectite end members of the theoretical composition of K-, Na-, Mg-, and Ca-montmorillonite and experimental data on the enthalpy of dehydration (14 ± 2 kJ per mole of H₂O) and dehydroxylation (166 ± 10 kJ per mole of H₂O) for Na-montmorillonite.     

Thermochemistry of jadeite—diopside pyroxenes

The enthalpies of solution of seven synthetic clinopyroxenes on the join CaMg₂Si₂O₆ (diopside)-NaAlSi₂O₆ (jadeite), of two natural low-Fe ordered omphacites near the 1:1 composition, and of a nearly pure natural jadeite, were measured in molten Pb₂B₂O₅ at 970 K. Enthalpies of solution of the natural omphacites experimentally disordered at 1350°C and 30 kbar were also measured.The synthetic clinopyroxenes have positive excess enthalpies of mixing, which can be expressed by a symmetrical function ΔH_mix = W_HX_JdX_Di, with W_H = 7250 ±950 calories. The enthalpy of disordering of the two natural omphacites averages 1.8 kcal, which is nearly the same as the excess enthalpy of mixing of a 1:1 disordered pyroxene.The interaction parameter, W_H, can be shown to be essentially equivalent to ΔG° of the reciprocal reaction: CaMgSi₂O₆ + NaAlSi₂O₆ = CaAlSi₂O⁺₆ + NaMgSi₂O^?₆ M-site cation distribution data of natural omphacites heat-treated at 1000°C (Aldridgeet al., 1978) lead to ΔG° = 7200 cal for the above reaction, in good agreement with the calorimetric W_H. The reciprocal solution theory with ΔG° = 7200 cal predicts closely the activities of NaAlSi₂OP₆ in jadeite-diopsides found from phase equilibrium measurements at 600°C (Holland, 1979a) and is nearly equivalent to an entropically ideal two site mixing model with a (fictive) W_H of 5800 cal.Jadeite-diopside solid solutions near the 1:1 composition at temperatures of 1000–1500 K are ‘pseudoideal’; that is, they have nearly the free energies of ideal one-site mixtures (Ganguly, 1973). If the order-disorder transition is nearly first-order at about 1000 K, as suggested by Fleetet al. (1978), the pseudo-ideality holds also for ordered omphacites at least somewhat below 1000 K.     

EPR measurement of the effect of glass composition on the oxidation states of europium

The techniques of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) were used to measure the concentration ratio of Eu²⁺ to Eu³⁺ in quenched silicate liquids as a function of their compositions. The compositional end members were CaAl₂Si₂O₈ and either MSiO₃ or M₂Si0₄, M = Mg, (Ca_0.5, Mg_0.5), and Ca. All of the liquids were quenched from 1650 ± 25°C, 10^?6.9±0.6 atm of oxygen, and 10^?6.1±0.6 atm total pressure. For a particular choice of M, the ratio of Eu²⁺ to Eu³⁺ increased as much as a factor of 24 with increasing atomic ratio (Al + Si)/(O); for a constant value of (Al + Si)/(O), the ratio of Eu²⁺ to Eu³⁺ increased in the order Mg > (Ca_0.5,Mg_0.5) >Ca. In order to interpret the compositional dependence of the redox equilibrium of Eu in a systematic manner, the concept of a solvent coefficient was introduced.     

Chromium solubility in MgSiO3 ilmenite at high pressure

The crystal structure and chemical composition of crystals of (Mg_1?x Cr _x )(Si_1?x Cr _x )O₃ ilmenite (with x = 0.015, 0.023 and 0.038) synthesized in the model system Mg₃Cr₂Si₃O₁₂–Mg₄Si₄O₁₂ at 18–19 GPa and 1,600 °C have been investigated. Chromium was found as substitute for both Mg at the octahedral X site and Si at the octahedral Y site, according to the reaction Mg²⁺ + Si⁴⁺ = 2Cr³⁺. Such substitutions cause a shortening of the <X–O> and a lengthening of the <Y–O> distances with respect to the values typically observed for pure MgSiO₃ ilmenite and eskolaite Cr₂O₃. Although no high Cr contents are considered in the pyrolite model, Cr-bearing ilmenite may be the host for chromium in the Earth’s transition zone. The successful synthesis of ilmenite with high Cr contents and its structural characterization are of key importance because the study of its thermodynamic constants combined with the data on phase relations in the lower-mantle systems can help in the understanding of the seismic velocity and density profiles of the transition zone and the constraining composition and mineralogy of pyrolite in this area of the Earth.     

A high pressure-high temperature study of TiO2 solubility in Mg-rich phlogopite: implications to phlogopite chemistry

The solubility of Tio₂ in phlogopites has been experimentally determined in the system K₂Mg₆Al₂Si₆O₂₀(OH)₄-K₂Mg₄TiAl₂Si₆O₂₀(OH)₄-K₂Mg₅TiAl₄Si₄O₂₀(OH)₄ between 825–1300°C and 10–30 kbar under vapour absent conditions. Starting compositions lie along the join K₂Mg₆Al₂Si₆O₂₀(OH)₄-K₂Mg_4.5TiAl₃Si₅O₂₀(OH)₄ which represents a combination of the Mg^[VI]2Si^[IV] = Ti^[VI]2Al^[VI] and $\text{2Mg}{}^{\mathrm{[VI]}}\text{=}\text{Ti}{}^{\mathrm{[VI]}}\text{□}{}^{\mathrm{[VI]}}$ substitution mechanisms for Ti in phlogopites. The results of the experiments indicate a systematic increase in solubility of Ti with increasing temperature and decreasing pressure for given bulk Tio₂ content. Under isobaric conditions high temperature Ti-saturated phlogopite breaks down to Ti-deficient phlogopite + rutile + vapour. Mass balance calculations suggest that the vapour phase may contain K₂O dissolved in H₂O and that the reaction is controlled by the vapour phase. Analyses of phlogopites coexisting with rutile and vapour can be represented in terms of the end-member components phlogopite [K₂Mg₆Al₂Si₆O₂₀(OH)₄], eastonite [K₂Mg₅Al₄Si₅O₂₀(OH)₄], an octahedral site deficient Ti-phlogopite (Ti-OSD) of composition K₂(Mg₄Ti□)Al₂Si₆)O₂₀(OH)₄, and Ti-eastonite [K₂Mg₅TiAl₄Si₄O₂₀(OH)₄]. With decreasing amounts of Ti in these phlogopites there is a decrease in the Ti-eastonite component and increase in the eastonite component.The general equation for the breakdown of Ti-phlogopite solid solution to Ti-free phlogopite + rutile + vapour is: 14 Ti-eastonite + 7 Ti-OSD ? 16 eastonite + 3 phlogopite + 21 rutile + 4 H₂O + 2 K₂O. Lack of knowledge of H₂O and K₂O activities in the vapour phase does not permit evaluation of thermodynamic constants for this reaction. The Ti solubility in phlogopites and hence its potential as a geothermobarometer under lower crustal to upper mantle conditions is likely controlled by common mantle minerals such as forsterite.     

Thermodynamic Properties of Natural Cuspidine

The paper reports pioneering data on the calorimetrically determined enthalpy of formation from elements of cuspidine, Ca fluordiorthosilicate Ca₄Si₂O₇F₂, from the Tyrny-Auz Mo–W deposit in Kabardino- Balkaria, Russia. The data were obtained by high-temperature melt solution calorimetry. The determined value is ΔfH_el° (298.15 K) =–5190 ± 13 kJ/mol. The paper reports estimated S°(298.15 K) and Δ_fG_el° (298.15 K) of cuspidine.     

Compositional dependence of the hyperfine interaction of 57Fe in anthophyllite

Hyperfine parameters of ⁵⁷Fe in anthophyllites (Mg²⁺, Fe²⁺)₇ Si₈O₂₂(OH, F)₂ mainly depend on the amount of Al present in the structure. The quadrupole splitting of the doublet due to Fe²⁺ in M1, M2 and M3 decreases systematically with the Al content, whereas that of the doublet due to Fe²⁺ in M4 and the half-width of the combined M1, M2, M3 doublet increases. Structurally these variations suggest that, with the incorporation of Al (miscibility towards gedrite), the distortion of the M4 polyhedron decreases, whereas the M1, M2 and M3 polyhedra become more distorted and dissimilar.     

含铝硅酸盐1)吉布斯生成自由能的预测及Y.塔达方法向高温条件下推引的可能性

近几年来,Y.塔达等人^[3-7]建立了一种预测化合物吉布斯生成自由能的经验方法。     

The Al2O3 contents of enstatite in equilibrium with garnet in the system MgO-Al2O3-SiO2 at 15–40 kbar and 900°–1,600° C

Forty-six reversed determinations of the Al₂O₃content of enstatite in equilibrium with garnet were made in the P/T range 15–40 kbar/900–1,600° C in the MgO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂ system. Starting materials were mixtures of synthetic pyrope+Al-free enstatite and pyrope+enstatite (5–12% Al₂O₃). Al₂O₃ contents in reversal run pairs closely approached common values from both the high- and low-Al sides. Most experiments were done in a piston-cylinder device using a NaCl medium; some runs at very high temperatures were made in pyrex/NaCl or pyrex/talc assemblies. The measured enstatite compositions, expressed as mole fractions of Mg₂(MgAl)(AlSi₃)O₁₂(X _Opy ^En ) were fitted by a Monte-Carlo method to the equilibrium condition: $$\begin{gathered} \Delta H_{970}^0 - 970\Delta S_{970}^0 \hfill \\ + \mathop \smallint \limits_1^P \Delta V_{970}^0 dP - \mathop \smallint \limits_{970}^T \Delta S_T^0 dT + RT\ln X_{Opy}^{En} = 0 \hfill \\ \end{gathered}$$ where the best fit parameters of ΔH, ΔS and ΔV (1 bar, 970 K) for the reaction pyrope=opy are 2,040 cal/mol, 2.12 eu and 9.55 cc/mol. In addition to the determination of Al₂O₃ contents of enstatite, the univariant reaction pyrope+forsterite=enstatite+spinel was reversibly located in the range 1,100–1,400°C. A “best-fit” line passes through 22, 22.5 and 25 kbar at 1,040, 1,255 and 1,415°C, respectively. Our results for the univariant reaction are in agreement with previous studies of MacGregor (1974) and Haselton (1979). However, comparison of the experimentally determined curve with thermochemical calculations suggests that there may be a small error in the tabulated ΔH _f(970,1) ⁰ value for enstatite. A value of?8.32 rather than?8.81 kcal/mole (Charlu et al. 1975) is consistent with the present data. Application of garnet-enstatite-spinel-forsterite equilibria to natural materials is fraught with difficulties. The effects of nonternary components are poorly understood, and the low solubilities of Al₂O₃ in enstatite under most geologically reasonable conditions make barometric or thermometric calculations highly sensitive. More detailed studies, including reversed determinations in low-friction assemblies, are sorely needed before the effects of important diluents such as Fe, Ca and Cr can be fully understood.     

Structure and crystal chemistry of hydrous wadsleyite, Mg1.75SiH0.5O4: possible hydrous magnesium silicate in the mantle transition zone

The crystal structure of hydrous wadsleyite, Mg_1.75SiH_0.5O₄ synthesized in an MA 8-type apparatus at conditions of 1300°C and 15.5 GPa, has been analyzed and refined in space group Imma, using the X-ray intensities measured on a 60X60X10 μm single crystal. The composition (Z=8) and unit cell are Mg_1.74Si_0.97H_0.65O₄ by E.P.M.A. analysis and a=5.663(1) Å, b= 11.546(2) Å, c=8.247(4) Å, V=539.2(5) ų. The partial M-site occupancies were determined; vacancies associated with the incorporation of water are strongly concentrated on the Mg 3 site. The OH in the structure was confirmed by Raman and FTIR spectroscopies. The result of valence sum calculation based on the refined bond lengths indicates that O1 is a hydroxyl. The formula of hydrous wadsleyite can be expressed as Mg_2-xSiH_2xO₄, where 0≤x≤0.25. When x=0.25, all of the O1 site is hydroxyl and the maximum solubility of 3.3 wt% H₂O is realized. Structural relations to other dense hydrous phases are discussed.     

The crystal chemistry of lithium and Fe3+ in synthetic orthopyroxene

Lithian ferrian enstatite with Li₂O = 1.39 wt% and Fe₂O₃ 7.54 wt% was synthesised in the (MgO–Li₂O–FeO–SiO₂–H₂O) system at P = 0.3 GPa, T = 1,000°C, fO₂ = +2 Pbca, and a = 18.2113(7), b = 8.8172(3), c = 5.2050(2) Å, V = 835.79(9) Å³. The composition of the orthopyroxene was determined combining EMP, LA-ICP-MS and single-crystal XRD analysis, yielding the unit formula ^M2(Mg_0.59Fe _0.21 ²⁺ Li_0.20) ^M1(Mg_0.74Fe _0.20 ³⁺ Fe _0.06 ²⁺ ) Si₂O₆. Structure refinements done on crystals obtained from synthesis runs with variable Mg-content show that the orthopyroxene is virtually constant in composition and hence in structure, whereas coexisting clinopyroxenes occurring both as individual grains or thin rims around the orthopyroxene crystals have variable amounts of Li, Fe³⁺ and Mg contents. Structure refinement shows that Li is ordered at the M2 site and Fe³⁺ is ordered at the M1 site of the orthopyroxene, whereas Mg (and Fe²⁺) distributes over both octahedral sites. The main geometrical variations observed for Li-rich samples are actually due to the presence of Fe³⁺, which affects significantly the geometry of the M1 site; changes in the geometry of the M2 site due to the lower coordination of Li are likely to affect both the degree and the kinetics of the non-convergent Fe²⁺-Mg ordering process in octahedral sites.     

Thermochemistry of the high structural state plagioclases

The enthalpies of solution of a suite of 19 high-structural state synthetic plagioclases were measured in a Pb₂B₂O₅ melt at 970 K. The samples were crystallized from analyzed glasses at 1200°C and 20 kbar pressure in a piston-cylinder apparatus. A number of runs were also made on Amelia albite and Amelia albite synthetically disordered at 1050–1080°C and one bar for one month and at 1200°C and 20 kbar for 10 hr. The component oxides of anorthite, CaO, Al₂O₃ and SiO₂, were remeasured.The ΔH of disorder of albite inferred in the present study from albite crystallized from glass is 3.23 kcal, which agrees with the 3.4 found by Holm and Kleppa (1968). It is not certain whether this value includes the ΔH of a reversible displacive transition to monoclinic symmetry, as suggested by Helgesonet al. (1978) for the Holm-Kleppa results. The enthalpy of solution value for albite accepted for the solid solution series is based on the heat-treated Amelia albite and is 2.86 kcal less than for untreated Amelia albite.The enthalpy of formation from the oxides at 970 K of synthetic anorthite is ?24.06 ± 0.31 kcal, significantly higher than the ?23.16 kcal found by Charluet al. (1978), and in good agreement with the value of ?23.89 ± 0.82 given by Robieet al. (1979), based on acid calorimetry.The excess enthalpy of mixing in high plagioclase can be represented by the expression, valid at 970 K: ΔH^ex(±0.16 kcal) = 6.7461 X_abX²_An + 2.0247 X_AnX²_Ab where X_Ab and X_An are, respectively, the mole fractions of NaAlSi₃O₈ and CaAl₂Si₂O₈. This ΔH^ex, together with the mixing entropy of Kerrick and Darken's (1975) Al-avoidance model, reproduces almost perfectly the free energy of mixing found by Orville (1972) in aqueous cation-exchange experiments at 700°C. It is likely that Al-avoidance is the significant stabilizing factor in the high plagioclase series, at least for X_An≥ 0.3. At high temperatures the plagioclases have nearly the free energies of ideal one-site solid solutions. The Al-avoidance model leads to the following Gibbs energy of mixing for the high plagioclase series: $\text{ΔG}{}^{\mathrm{mix}}\text{= ΔH}{}^{\mathrm{ex}}\text{+ RT X}{}_{\mathrm{Ab}}\text{ln[X}{}^2{}_{\mathrm{Ab}}\text{(2 ? X}{}_{\mathrm{Ab}}\text{)]+ X}{}_{\mathrm{An}}\text{ln}\text{[X}{}_{\mathrm{An}}\text{(1+X}{}_{\mathrm{An}}\text{)}{}^2\text{]}\text{4}$. The entropy and enthalpy of mixing should be very nearly independent of temperature because of the unlikelihood of excess heat capacity in the albite-anorthite join.     

Crystal structure and refined formula of garyansellite Mg<Subscript>2</Subscript>Fe<Superscript>3+</Superscript>(PO<Subscript>4</Subscript>)<Subscript>2</Subscript>(OH) · 2H<Subscript>2</Subscript>O

Single-crystal study of the structure (R = 0.0268) was performed for garyansellite from Rapid Creek, Yukon, Canada. The mineral is orthorhombic, Pbna, a = 9.44738(18), b = 9.85976(19), c = 8.14154(18) Å, V = 758.38(3) ų, Z = 4. An idealized formula of garyansellite is Mg₂Fe³⁺(PO₄)₂(OH) · 2H₂O. Structurally the mineral is close to other members of the phosphoferrite–reddingite group. The structure contains layers of chains of M(2)O₄(OH)(H₂O) octahedra which share edges to form dimers and connected by common edges with isolated from each other M(1)O₄(H₂O)₂ octahedra. The neighboring chains are connected to the layer through the common vertices of M(2) octahedra and octaahedral layers are linked through PO₄ tetrahedra.     

Mössbauer studies of synthetic and natural micas on the polylithionite-siderophyllite join

Mössbauer studies of micas on the polylithionite-side-rophyllite join show the existence of a relation between the quadrupole splitting (ΔE _Q) values of Fe²⁺ high spin doublets and both cationic and anionic composition of micas. This linear relation is positive as Li₂O content increases and negative as F content increases. In the lithium iron micas, the inner ferrous quadrupole doublet is assigned to the cis-site M(2), while the outer doublet is assigned to the trans-site M(1). A random distribution of Fe²⁺ is observed in fluorine-rich compositions, while slight enrichment of the M(1) site is noticed in hydroxyl compositions, perhaps due to a more sensitive oxidation in situ in M(2) than M(1) sites. The Mössbauer spectrum of siderophyllite K₂(Fe ₄ ²⁺ Al₂)(Si₄Al₄)O₂₀(OH)₄ shows the presence of only one ferrous doublet, which is assigned to M(2) sites. Hence from Mössbauer data we must consider a clintonite (“xanthophyllite”) structure for this mica. The ordered octahedral layer has two distorted ferrous cis-sites and one, more symmetrical, aluminum trans-site.     

Comprehensive physicochemical study of dioctahedral palygorskite-rich clay from Marrakech High Atlas (Morocco)

This study is devoted to the physicochemical and mineralogical characterizations of palygorskite from Marrakech High Atlas, Morocco. The raw clay and its Na⁺-saturated <2 μm fraction were characterized using chemical, structural, and thermal analytical techniques. Measurements of specific surface area and porous volume are reported. The clay fraction was found to be made up of 95 % of palygorskite and 5 % of sepiolite. An original feature of this palygorskite is its deficiency in zeolitic H₂O. The half-cell structural formula of its dehydrated form was determined on the basis of 21 oxygens to be (Si_7.92Al_0.08)(Mg_2.15Al_1.4Fe_0.4Ti_0.05 $ \square_{1} $ )(Ca_0.03Na_0.08K_0.04)O₂₁, while the hydrated form could be formulated as (Si_7.97Al_0.03)(Mg_2.17Al_1.46Fe_0.40Ti_0.05)(Ca_0.03Na_0.07K_0,03)O_20.18(OH)_1.94(OH₂)_3.88·2.43 H₂O. These formulas show that the (Al³⁺+Fe³⁺)/Mg²⁺ ratio is around 0.84, revealing a pronounced dioctahedral character. Further, inside its octahedral sheet, it was determined that the inner M₁ sites are occupied by vacancies, whereas the M₂ sites are shared between 90 % of trivalent cations (78 % for Al³⁺ and 22 % for Fe³⁺), 7.5 % of Mg²⁺, and 2.5 % of Ti⁴⁺, all of them linked to 1.94 of structural hydroxyls. The two remaining Mg²⁺ by half-cell occupy edge M₃ sites and are coordinated to 3.88 molecules of OH₂. Channels of this palygorskite are deficient in zeolitic H₂O since they contain only 2.43 H₂O molecules. A correlation was found between these results and the observation of very intense and well-resolved FTIR bands arising from dioctahedral domains (mainly Al₂OH, Fe₂OH, and AlFeOH) along with very small responses from a trioctahedral domain (Mg₃OH). Accordingly, a schematic representation of the composition of the octahedral sheet was proposed. The cation exchange capacity, specific surface area, and total pore volume were also assessed to be ca. 21.2 meq/100 g, 116 m²/g, and 0.458 cm³/g, respectively.     

High-<Emphasis Type="Italic">T</Emphasis> behaviour of gedrite: thermoelasticity,cation ordering and dehydrogenation

The thermoelastic behaviour of a natural gedrite having the crystal-chemical formula ^ANa_0.47 ^B(Na_0.03 Mg_1.05 Fe_0.86²⁺ Mn_0.02 Ca_0.04) ^C(Mg_3.44 Fe_0.36²⁺ Al_1.15 Ti_0.05⁴⁺) ^T(Si_6.31 Al_1.69)O₂₂ ^W(OH)₂ has been studied by single-crystal X-ray diffraction to 973 K (Stage 1). After data collection at 973 K, the crystal was heated to 1,173 K to induce dehydrogenation, which was registered by significant changes in unit-cell parameters, M1–O3 and M3–O3 bond lengths and refined site-scattering values of M1 and M4 sites. These changes and the crystal-chemical formula calculated from structure refinement show that all Fe²⁺ originally at M4 migrates into the ribbon of octahedrally coordinated sites, where most of it oxidises to Fe³⁺, and there is a corresponding exchange of Mg from the ribbon into M4. The resulting composition is that of an oxo-gedrite with an inferred crystal-chemical formula ^ANa_0.47 ^B(Na_0.03 Mg_1.93 Ca_0.04) ^C(Mg_2.56 Mn_0.02²⁺ Fe_0.10²⁺ Fe_1.22³⁺ Al_1.15 Ti_0.05⁴⁺) ^T(Si_6.31 Al_1.69) O₂₂ ^W[O_1.12²⁻ (OH)_0.88]. This marked redistribution of Mg and Fe is interpreted as being driven by rapid dehydrogenation at the H3A and H3B sites, such that all available Fe in the structure orders at M1 and M3 sites and is oxidised to Fe³⁺. Thermoelastic data are reported for gedrite and oxo-gedrite; the latter was measured during cooling from 1,173 to 298 K (Stage 2) and checked after further heating to 1,273 K (Stage 3). The thermoelastic properties of gedrite and oxo-gedrite are compared with each other and those of anthophyllite.