Thermodynamic properties of Zn(Al,Cr)2O4 spinels at high temperatures and pressures

Three Al-Cr exchange isotherms between Zn(Al, Cr)₂O₄ spinel and (Al, Cr)₂O₃ corundum crystalline solutions have been studied experimentally at 900°, 1100°, and 1300° C, at a total pressure of 25 kbar. Employing data on the equation of state of corundum (Chatterjee et al. 1982), the experimental results were evaluated thermodynamically. It was found that the thermodynamic mixing properties of Zn(Al, Cr)₂O₄ spinels are best described in terms of a symmetric Margules equation. The T- and P- dependence of the Margules Parameter, W _G ^Sp , and of ΔG^* of the exchange reaction, 1/2 ZnAl₂O₄ + 1/2 Cr₂O₃ = 1/2 ZnCr₂O₄+1/2 A1₂O₃, are found to be ΔG ^*=1493?2.869·T+0.0081·P and W _G ^Sp (J/mol)=23456+0.0386·P, with T given in K and P in bar.     

Simulation of thermodynamic mixing properties of garnet solid solutions at high temperatures and pressures

We present results of high temperature, high pressure atomistic simulations aimed at determining the thermodynamic mixing properties of key binary garnet solid solutions. Computations cover the pressure range 0–15 GPa and the temperature range 0–2000 K. Through a combination of Monte-Carlo and lattice-dynamics calculations, we derive thermodynamic mixing properties for garnets with compositions along the pyrope–almandine and pyrope–grossular joins, and compare these with existing experimental data. Across the pressure–temperature range considered, simulations show virtually ideal mixing behaviour in garnet on the pyrope–almandine join, while large excess volumes and enthalpies of mixing are predicted for garnet along the pyrope–grossular join. Excess heat capacities and entropies are also examined. These simulations shed additional light on the link between the behaviour at the atomic level and macroscopic thermodynamic properties: we illustrate the importance of certain atomistic Ca–Mg contacts in the pyrope–grossular solid solutions. For simulation techniques of this type to become sufficiently accurate for direct use in geological applications such as geothermobarometry, there is an urgent need for improved experimental determinations of several key quantities, such as the enthalpies of mixing along both joins.     

Thermodynamic properties of nickel chromite (NiCr2O4) based on adiabatic calorimetry at low temperatures

 The hitherto unknown low-temperature heat capacity of nickel chromite (NiCr₂O₄) was measured between 8 and 381 K using adiabatic calorimetry, and some thermochemical functions [C_P(T), S(T), S°₂₉₈, H_(T)−H₍₀₎] were derived from the results. The standard entropy (S°₂₉₈=140.0 ± 0.3 J mol⁻¹ K⁻¹) for nickel chromite was calculated from the results. Our calorimetric measurements indicate three major anomalies in the heat-capacity curve at temperatures between 8 and 381 K. A short literature review indicates that two of these anomalies can be accounted for, whereas an anomaly peaking at 29 K has not been reported previously.     

Back transformation and oxidation of (Mg,Fe)2SiO4 spinels at high temperatures

Based on the in situ and temperature-quench X-ray measurements, the back transformation in the (Mg, Fe)₂SiO₄-spinels has been characterized in terms of the transformation temperature (T _r ),mechanism and kinetics of the transformation, and of the end product(s), with specific emphasis on the effect of oxygen on this transformation. The in situ measurements were conducted to 900° C in vacuum (10^-4 to 10^-5 torr) and to 600° C in air using synchrotron radiation (SR) at Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory (SSRL). In the quench-type measurements, samples were heated in air to 1100° C, quenched and examined at ambient conditions using the conventional X-ray diffraction facilities. Important results are (1) in vacuum, all the spinels convert back into the olivine phase, with their T _r decreasing with increasing iron content; (2) the spinel olivine back transformation is a nucleation and growth type of transformation and can be described quantitatively using the Avrami equation; (3) in air, the (Mg, Fe)₂SiO₄-spinels with 0.2 mole fraction Fe or more are all oxidized, and the composition and phase of the end products depend upon the temperature and the starting composition; and (4) the oxidation of the iron-rich (Mg, Fe)₂SiO₄-spinels in air occurs at 350–400° C, which is significantly lower than its T _r ( 300° C) in vacuum.     

Thermodynamic properties of the forsterite-fayalite (Mg2SiO4-Fe2SiO4) solid solution. determination of heat of formation

A high temperature calorimetric solution method involving the use of a sodium and lithium metaborate (NaBO₂+LiBO₂) molten bath at 1,180 K, has been developed in order to measure the enthalpy of formation of the forsterite-fayalite (Mg₂SiO₄-Fe₂SiO₄) system. The samples used for these measurements have been obtained by synthesis. They have been carefully controlled by chemical and X-ray analysis and Mössbauer spectroscopy. The results obtained for forsterite and fayalite agree closely with the data commonly found in the literature. Owing to the uncertainty of the experimental results, it is not possible to determine conclusively whether an enthalpy of mixing exists in this system.     

The elastic solid solution model for minerals at high pressures and temperatures

Non-ideality in mineral solid solutions affects their elastic and thermodynamic properties, their thermobaric stability, and the equilibrium phase relations in multiphase assemblages. At a given composition and state of order, non-ideality in minerals is typically modelled via excesses in Gibbs free energy which are either constant or linear with respect to pressure and temperature. This approach has been extremely successful when modelling near-ideal solutions. However, when the lattice parameters of the solution endmembers differ significantly, extrapolations of thermodynamic properties to high pressures using these models may result in significant errors. In this paper, I investigate the effect of parameterising solution models in terms of the Helmholtz free energy, treating volume (or lattice parameters) rather than pressure as an independent variable. This approach has been previously applied to models of order–disorder, but the implications for the thermodynamics and elasticity of solid solutions have not been fully explored. Solid solution models based on the Helmholtz free energy are intuitive at a microscopic level, as they automatically include the energetic contribution from elastic deformation of the endmember lattices. A chemical contribution must also be included in such models, which arises from atomic exchange within the solution. Derivations are provided for the thermodynamic properties of n-endmember solutions. Examples of the use of the elastic model are presented for the alkali halides, pyroxene, garnet, and bridgmanite solid solutions. Elastic theory provides insights into the microscopic origins of non-ideality in a range of solutions, and can make accurate predictions of excess enthalpies, entropies, and volumes as a function of volume and temperature. In solutions where experimental data are sparse or contradictory, the Helmholtz free energy approach can be used to assess the magnitude of excess properties and their variation as a function of pressure and temperature. The formulation is expected to be useful for geochemical and geophysical studies of the Earth and other planetary bodies.     

H2O-CH4-H2-CO2-CO-O2在高温、高压和高密度条件下的状态方程

为了计算高温，高压和高密度流体的热力学性质，提出了一个具有19个参数的维里型状态方程，其中参数与温度间的函数关系采用由Sutherland位能函数导出的维里系数近似式。除临界点附近以外，在已报道的pVT数据所覆盖的大部分超临界区域内，该方程均可适用。用该方程对H2O，CH4，H2，CO2，CO和O2等流体pVT关系的计算结果令人满意，其中pVT上限分别为：91-610GPa,1.6-11.0cm^3/mol,4000-5000K。计算体积的平均偏 小于0．8％，最大偏差小于5．4％。     

Meixnerit,Mg6Al2(OH)18·4H2O,ein neues Magnesium-Aluminium-Hydroxid-Mineral

Zusammenfassung Meixnerit, Mg₆Al₂(OH)₁₈·4H₂O, kommt als sekundäres Mineral in Klüften eines Serpentins in der Nähe von Ybbs-Persenbeug (Niederösterreich) vor. Die Kristalle sind blättchenförmig, farblos durchsichtig, optisch ein-achsig-negativ mitn ₀=1,517. Die Spaltbarkeit parallel (00.1) ist perfekt. Meixnerit ist trigonal-rhomboedrisch, RaumgruppeR m,a=3,0463 (15) Å,c=22,93 (2) Å,Z=3/8. Strukturell ist er eng mit dem Hydrotalkit verwandt. Das neue Mineral wurde zu Ehren von Herrn Prof. Dr.H. Meixner, Salzburg, benannt.

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Meixnerite, Mg₆Al₂(OH)₁₈·4H₂O, a new magnesium-aluminum-hydroxide mineral

Summary Meixnerite, Mg₆Al₂(OH)₁₈·4H₂O, occurs as a secondary mineral in cracks of a serpentine rock near Ybbs-Persenbeug (Lower Austria). The crystals are tabular, colorless transparent, optically uni-axial negative withn ₀=1.517, cleavage parallel (00.1) perfect. Meixnerite is trigonal rhombohedral, space groupR m,a=3.0463 (15) Å,c=22.93 (2) Å,Z=3/8. It is structurally related to hydrotalcite. The new mineral is named in honour of Prof. Dr.H. Meixner, Salzburg.

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The system: Two alkali feldspars-KCl-NaCl-H2O at moderate to high temperatures and low pressures

Because of frequent discrepancies between the available experimental data and the measured composition of alkali chloride aqueous solutions coexisting with two alkali feldspars in high temperatures-low pressures natural systems, a systematic investigation of the system KAlSi₃O₈-NaAlSi₃O₈-KCl-NaCl-H₂O has been undertaken.Experiments have been carried out at temperatures from 300 °C to 660 °C, pressures from 0.2 to 2 kbar and total chloride concentrations ranging from 0.05 to 14 moles/kg H₂O.No effect of pressure on the feldspars solvus could be detected. Smoothing the experimental data on the basis of the regular assymetric solid solution model yields a critical temperature of 661°C and a critical composition of Or_0.36Ab_0.64.The equilibrium constant C = m _KCl/m _NaCl does not depend on total chloride molality, as long as the aqueous solution is homogeneous. But, in the miscibility gap (liquid+vapour) of the fluid, C is always lower in the vapour than in the liquid. The higher the temperature and the lower the pressure, the more striking this effect. For instance, at 500 ° C C _vaqour/C _liquid = 1 above 1 kb, 0.9 at 600 bars, 0.8 at 500 bars, 0.7 at 400–450 bars.The effect of pressure can be neglected in homogeneous fluids and in the liquid phase of unmixed fluids, but it is very important in the vapour phase (dilute solutions at low pressure).The selected values of C _max are (±0.01) 300 ° C0.083; 400 ° C0.139; 500 ° C0.200; 600 ° C0.264; 650 ° C0.298Such a behaviour of the fluid at low pressures explains the abnormally low values of m _KCl/m _NaCl measured in many natural hydrothermal systems. A new mechanism of alkali metasomatism (especially potassic alterations) is also proposed, taking into account the unmixing of alkali chloride aqueous solutions. This model seems particularly interesting in late magmatic hydrothermal processes, such as those occuring in porphyry type deposits.     

Raman spectra of MgSiO3·10% Al2O3-perovskite at various pressures and temperatures

Variations of Raman spectra of MgSiO₃·10% Al₂O₃-perovskite were investigated up to about 270 kbar at room temperature and in the range 108–425 °K at atmospheric pressure. Like MgSiO₃-perovskite, the Raman frequencies of MgSiO₃·10% Al₂O₃-perovskite increase nonlinearly with increasing pressure and decrease linearly with increasing temperature within the experimental uncertainties and the range investigated. A comparison of these data with those of MgSiO₃-perovskite suggests that MgSiO₃·10% Al₂O₃-perovskite is slightly more compressible than MgSiO₃-perovskite, and that the volume thermal expansion for MgSiO₃·10% Al₂O₃-perovskite is also slightly greater than that for MgSiO₃-perovskite.     

Thermodynamic and magnetic properties of knorringite garnet (Mg3Cr2Si3O12) based on low-temperature calorimetry and magnetic susceptibility measurements

The low-temperature heat capacity of knorringite garnet (Mg₃Cr₂Si₃O₁₂) was measured between 2 and 300 K, and thermochemical functions were derived from the results. The measured heat capacity curves show a sharp lambda-shaped anomaly peaking at around 5.1 K. Magnetic susceptibility data show that the transition is caused by antiferromagnetic ordering. From the C _p data, we suggest a standard entropy (298.15 K) of 301 ± 2.5 J mol^?1 K^?1 for Mg₃Cr₂Si₃O₁₂. The new data are also used in conjunction with previous experimental results to constrain ?H _f ° for knorringite.     

Phase transition of synthetic zinc ferrite spinel (ZnFe2O4) at high pressure, from synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction

 Synthetic Zn-ferrite (ideally ZnFe₂O₄; mineral name: franklinite) was studied up to 37 GPa, by X-ray powder diffraction at ESRF (Grenoble, France), on the ID9 beamline; high pressure was achieved by means of a DAC. The P-V equation of state of franklinite was investigated using the Birch-Murnaghan function, and the elastic properties thus inferred [K₀ = 166.4(±3.0) GPa K₀ ^′ = 9.3(±0.6) K₀ ^″ = −0.22 GPa⁻¹] are compared with earlier determinations for MgAl-spinel and magnetite. The structural behaviour of Zn-ferrite as a function of pressure was studied by Rietveld refinements, and interpreted in the light of a phase transition from spinel to either CaTi₂O₄- or MnFe₂O₄-like structure; this transformation occurs above 24 GPa. Received: 15 March 1999 / Accepted: 22 April 2000     

Comparison of the raman microprobe spectra of (Mg,Fe)2SiO4 and Mg2GeO4 with olivine and spinel structures

Raman microprobe (RMP) spectra were produced for each of the olivine and spinel structured phases of Mg₂GeO₄ and (Mg, Fe)₂SiO₄. The assembled data show that bands due to the tetrahedra in silicate and germanate olivines shift in a way that indicates a dominant mass effect. This correspondence is difficult to make in spinels due to differences in structural type. Differences in Fe/Mg content of olivine shift the tetrahedral vibration bands only slightly, but their linear shifts could be used to indicate the composition of the phase.     

The stability of hercynite at high pressures and temperatures

The stability of hercynite (FeAl₂O₄) has been investigated experimentally between 7 and 24 GPa and 900 and 1,700°C. Hercynite breaks down to its constituent oxides at 7–8.5 GPa and temperatures >1,000°C. The incorporation of a small magnetite component in the hercynite necessitated a small correction to fix the location of the endmember reaction: FeAl₂O₄  = Al₂O₃ + FeO in P–T space. After making this correction, the position of the phase boundary was used to evaluate thermodynamic data for hercynite. Our results support a relatively large S ₂₉₈^° for hercynite, on the order of 115 J mol⁻¹ K⁻¹. Experiments up to 24 GPa and 1,400°C failed to detect any high-pressure polymorph of FeAl₂O₄; only corundum + wüstite were detected. This behaviour contrasts with that observed for the analogous MgAl₂O₄ system where the constituent oxides recombine at high pressure to produce “post-spinel” phases with CaFe₂O₄-type and CaTi₂O₄-type structures.     

Structures of micas synthesized at high pressures and temperatures

Thermal karst, exposed in mine shafts, has been significantly developed in the commercial stratum of oil shales. Geochemical investigations in this karst have for the first time established the secondary changes in the kerogen of the oil shales, namely, an anomalous content of bituminoid A + C, the presence of processes of aromatization, the significant amount of hydrocarbon compounds and humic acids, and changes in the elemental composition of the residual organic matter (in particular, an increase in the C/H ratio). The secondary changes suggest that a favorable geochemical and thermobaric environment existed in the thermal karst for intense bitumen formation. The results obtained are of interest in the study of the kerogen of oil shales as a possible parental source for oil and gas. —Authors.     

Single crystal growth of the modified spinel (β) and spinel (γ) phases of (Mg,Fe)2SiO4 and some geophysical implications

Single crystals of ferromagnesian orthosilicates with modified spinel (β) and spinel (γ) structure as large as 500 μm have been grown by solid state crystallization at high temperature and high pressure using an MA8-type apparatus driven in a 2,000-ton uniaxial press. This system is capable of generating pressures of 24.0 (±0.3) GPa at 2,400 (±50)°C for one hour in a sample assembly volume of 0.14 cm³. Crystals larger than 100 μm were observed to grow only at pressures within 5 percent of the phase boundary between the stability fields of the β and γ phases. Experimental determination of the phase boundaries between β or β+γ and γ phases for (Mg,Fe)₂SiO₄ has been extended to 22 GPa and 2,400°C. The effect of configurational entropy due to disordering is evaluated to be minimal on the basis of the cationic distribution in the synthesized samples; thus, we conclude that the phase boundary between β or β+γ and γ phases remains essentially linear to 2,400°C. In (Mg,Fe)₂SiO₄ solid solutions, the stability field of the γ phase shifts towards the lower pressures with increasing iron content at a rate of a 1 GPa for each 10 mole percent Fe. Assignment of the β→β+γ→γ transition to the seismic 550 km discontinuity is rejected by the present phase diagram results for (Mg_0.9Fe_0.1)₂SiO₄ and measurement of acoustic velocities for β and γ Mg₂SiO₄, but the discontinuity may be caused by a phase transition of pyroxene to a garnet-like structure.     

H2O activity in concentrated NaCl solutions at high pressures and temperatures measured by the brucite-periclase equilibrium

 H₂O activities in concentrated NaCl solutions were measured in the ranges 600°–900° C and 2–15 kbar and at NaCl concentrations up to halite saturation by depression of the brucite (Mg(OH)₂) – periclase (MgO) dehydration equilibrium. Experiments were made in internally heated Ar pressure apparatus at 2 and 4.2 kbar and in 1.91-cm-diameter piston-cylinder apparatus with NaCl pressure medium at 4.2, 7, 10 and 15 kbar. Fluid compositions in equilibrium with brucite and periclase were reversed to closures of less than 2 mol% by measuring weight changes after drying of punctured Pt capsules. Brucite-periclase equilibrium in the binary system was redetermined using coarsely crystalline synthetic brucite and periclase to inhibit back-reaction in quenching. These data lead to a linear expression for the standard Gibbs free energy of the brucite dehydration reaction in the experimental temperature range: ΔG° (±120J)=73418–134.95T(K). Using this function as a baseline, the experimental dehydration points in the system MgO−H₂O−NaCl lead to a simple systematic relationship of high-temperature H₂O activity in NaCl solution. At low pressure and low fluid densities near 2 kbar the H₂O activity is closely approximated by its mole fraction. At pressures of 10 kbar and greater, with fluid densities approaching those of condensed H₂O, the H₂O activity becomes nearly equal to the square of its mole fraction. Isobaric halite saturation points terminating the univariant brucite-periclase curves were determined at each experimental pressure. The five temperature-composition points in the system NaCl−H₂O are in close agreement with the halite saturation curves (liquidus curves) given by existing data from differential thermal analysis to 6 kbar. Solubility of MgO in the vapor phase near halite saturation is much less than one mole percent and could not have influenced our determinations. Activity concentration relations in the experimental P-T range may be retrieved for the binary system H₂O-NaCl from our brucite-periclase data and from halite liquidus data with minor extrapolation. At two kbar, solutions closely approach an ideal gas mixture, whereas at 10 kbar and above the solutions closely approximate an ideal fused salt mixture, where the activities of H₂O and NaCl correspond to an ideal activity formulation. This profound pressure-induced change of state may be characterized by the activity (a) – concentration (X) expression: a _{H 2}O=X _{H 2}O/(1+αX _NaCl), and a _NaCl=(1+α)^(1+α)[X _NaCl/(1+αX _NaCl)]^(1+α). The parameter α is determined by regression of the brucite-periclase H₂O activity data: α=exp[A–B/ϱ_{H 2}O ]-CP/T, where A=4.226, B=2.9605, C=164.984, and P is in kbar, T is in Kelvins, and ϱ_{H 2}O is the density of H₂O at given P and T in g/cm³. These formulas reproduce both the H₂O activity data and the NaCl activity data with a standard deviation of ±0.010. The thermodynamic behavior of concentrated NaCl solutions at high temperature and pressure is thus much simpler than portrayed by extended Debye-Hückel theory. The low H₂O activity at high pressures in concentrated supercritical NaCl solutions (or hydrosaline melts) indicates that such solutions should be feasible as chemically active fluids capable of coexisting with solid rocks and silicate liquids (and a CO₂-rich vapor) in many processes of deep crustal and upper mantle metamorphism and metasomatism. Received: 1 September 1995 / Accepted: 24 March 1996     

Cation partitioning versus temperature in (Mg0.70Fe0.23)Al1.97O4 synthetic spinel by in situ neutron powder diffraction

Neutron powder diffraction experiments in the temperature range 300–1770 K were performed at BENSC, Berlin, Germany, on synthetic (Mg_0.70Fe_0.23) Al_1.97O₄. The cation partitioning over the crystallographic tetrahedral and octahedral sites was determined as a function of temperature through joint Rietveld refinements and advanced minimization techniques. The thermal expansion coefficients of the lattice parameter and inter-atomic bond lengths were also obtained from the full-profile structure refinements. The behaviour of the polyhedral bond-lengths, especially the T−O distances, and of the cell constant upon heating, clearly indicate that the interdiffusion of tetrahedral and octahedral Mg/Al cations starts at about 950 K. This result is straightforwardly supported by the direct analysis of the neutron site scattering factors: Fe always retains tetrahedral coordination at all temperatures, and the cation rearrangement is entirely due to Mg and Al diffusion. Received: 18 November 1997 / Revised, accepted: 23 August 1998