Single-crystal electronic absorption spectroscopy of synthetic chromium-, cobalt-, and vanadium-bearing pyropes at different temperatures and pressures

 Single crystals of synthetic vanadium-, chromium- and cobalt-bearing garnets, Pyr:V0.06, Pyr:V0.13, Pyr:Cr0.04, Pyr:Co0.10, and Gt:Co3.00, and a natural vanadium-bearing grossular, Gross:V0.07 (Cr³⁺ < 0.005), were studied by electronic absorption spectroscopy in the wavenumber range 35 000–5000 cm⁻¹ under ambient conditions and at temperatures up to 600 K and pressures up to 8 GPa. The T and P behavior of the absorption band energies and intensities shows the following for the different transition metal-bearing garnets: Cr: The thermal expansion of chromium octahedra are similar to and the Racah parameter the same in synthetic Cr-doped pyrope, α_poly≅ 1.3 × 10⁻⁵ K⁻¹, and in natural pyrope, α_poly≅ 1.5 × 10⁻⁵ K⁻¹, and B=655 cm⁻¹, respectively. Ca^2+[8]-free garnets have a slightly stronger crystal field at the Y^[6] site and, therefore, the energies of the two spin-allowed Cr³⁺ dd bands are ca. 300 cm⁻¹ higher in Mg-pyrope than in natural Ca-bearing pyrope. Co: Increasing temperature causes only a small thermal expansion of the cobalt dodecahedra. Increasing pressure gives rise to appreciable compression, which is similar to that of the Fe²⁺-dodecahedra in almandine, where k=125 ± 25 GPa. T and P dependence of the Co band intensities may be caused by strong spin-orbit coupling. V: Occurs in at least two valence states and structural sites: (1) V³⁺ in octahedral sites gives rise to two spin-allowed bands, at 17 220 cm⁻¹ and 24 600 cm⁻¹, whose temperature dependence is typical for spin-allowed dd transitions in centrosymmetric sites. (2) V⁴⁺, which causes a set of dd absorption bands similar to those observed in the spectrum of V⁴⁺-doped Zr[SiO₄]. The P behavior of the V absorption bands indicates an interaction between V³⁺ and V⁴⁺ species. Received: 27 June 2001 / Accepted: 19 December 2001