Empirical study of the infrared lattice vibrations (1100–350 cm−1) of phlogopite

A detailed evaluation of the assignments given to the infrared (IR) vibrations in the lattice stretching region is presented here based on observations of the effects of various chemical substitutions in synthetic analogues of phlogopite, KMg₃(AlSi₃)O₁₀(OH)₂. As in previous studies, this study has confirmed that the 995, 960, and 460 cm^?1 vibrations are influenced by Si, the 822 and 760 cm^?1 vibrations by Al, the 915 and 725 cm^?1 vibrations by Al and Si, and the 592 cm^?1 vibration by OH. Contrary to previous studies, it is shown here that the 690, 495, and 375 cm^?1 vibrations are strongly linked with Mg and not just Si. The 655 cm^?1 band in phlogopite is attributed to an in-plane Al-O vibration rather than an Al-O-Si vibration. As a check on the band assignments made here, IR spectra were obtained for synthetic clintonite, CaMg₂Al(Al₃Si)O₁₀(OH)₂, as well as its chemical analogues and compared with the IR spectrum of phlogopite. The band intensities for the Si-O, Al-O, and Si-O-Mg vibrations changed in accord with the composition of clintonite. The most intense band in clintonite at 660 cm^?1 appears to be associated only with Al and is assigned here to a tetrahedral Al-O-Al vibration which must be present, if not dominant, in this mineral. The near coincidence of an in-plane Al-O vibration at 655 cm^?1 (phlogopite) and an in-plane Al-O-Al vibration at 660 cm^?1 (clintonite) makes the identification of tetrahedral Al-Si order-disorder in trioctahedral layered silicates by IR spectroscopy very difficult. The ratio of the 822/995 cm^?1 bands may, however, prove to be very useful for discerning the amount of tetrahedrally coordinated Al in these types of minerals.     

Titanian andradite in a metapyroxenite layer from the Malenco ultramafics (Italy): implications for Ti-mobility and low oxygen fugacity

Ti-andradite (melanite) has been found in a metapyroxenite layer in the upper part of the Malenco ultramafics(Italy), coexisting with clinochlore, diopside and magnetite. Field observations, as well as major and trace elementbulk-rock composition, strongly suggest a cumulate origin for the layer. Textural relationships indicate thatTi-andradite formed during two different metamorphic stages. Under peak metamorphic conditions (400–450°C, 5±2 kbar)Ti-andradite grew in an assemblage of diopside, clinochlore, magnetite and rare ilmenite and perovskite. Later, retrograde brittle deformationinduced formation of veins containing the paragenesis Ti-andradite, vesuvianite, diopside, chlinochlore, magnetite and accessory perovskite.The Ti-andradite varies considerably in TiO₂ (0.11–9.62 wt%), Fe₂O₃(14.3–30.5 wt%), Al₂O₃ (0.65–3.90 wt%), Cr₂O₃(>0.18–0.98 wt%) and SiO₂ (32.1–36.1 wt%); this is mostly, but not entirely, due to distinct zoning.Ti-andradite contains 0.32 to 0.66 wt% H₂O as determined by infrared spectroscopy and 0.83 to 1.76 wt% FeO. The CaO shows almost no variation (34.1±0.7 wt%) and Ca completely fills the dodecahedral site. Single crystal site refinements indicate that no tetrahedral Ti or Fe replaces Si. Titanium incorporation is attributed to similar degrees of substitution along the exchange vectors Ti³⁺ Fe³⁺, Ti⁴⁺ Al^IV Al _-1 ^VI Si_-1 and (Fe²⁺, Mn²⁺, Mg²⁺)Ti⁴⁺ 2Fe _-1 ³⁺ . The presence of mixed valence states of both Fe and Ti suggests a low oxygen fugacity during crystallization of Ti-andradite. Mass balance calculations indicate an isochemical origin of the first generation of Ti-andradite in the clinopyroxenite layer. Its occurrence is restricted to antigorite-free mineral assemblages containing clinochlore of 0.95X _Al>1.1. The hydrothermal crystallization of Ti-rich andradite in veins demonstrates Ti mobility in aqueous fluids under moderate P-T conditions. The zonation patterns indicate disequilibrium conditions during vein crystallization. As no fluorine-, carbonate- and phosphate-bearing minerals were found, OH^- is most probably the ligand complexing Ti.     

Application of infrared spectroscopy to studies of silicate glass structure: Examples from the melilite glasses and the systems Na2O-SiO2 and Na2O-Al2O3-SiO2

Infrared (IR) and Raman spectroscopic methods are important complementary techniques in structural studies of aluminosilicate glasses. Both techniques are sensitive to small-scale (<15 Å) structural features that amount to units of several SiO₄ tetrahedra. Application of IR spectroscopy has, however, been limited by the more complex nature of the IR spectrum compared with the Raman spectrum, particularly at higher frequencies (1200–800 cm^?1) where strong antisymmetric Si-O and Si-O-Si absorptions predominate in the former. At lower frequencies, IR spectra contain bands that have substantial contributions from ‘cage-like’ motions of cations in their oxygen co-ordination polyhedra. In aluminosilicates these bands can provide information on the structural environment of Al that is not obtainable directly from Raman studies. A middle frequency envelope centred near 700 cm^?1 is indicative of network-substituted AlO₄ polyhedra in glasses with Al/(Al+Si)>0·25 and a band at 520–620cm^?1 is shown to be associated with AlO₆ polyhedra in both crystals and glasses. The IR spectra of melilite and melilite-analogue glasses and crystals show various degrees of band localization that correlate with the extent of Al, Si tetrahedral site ordering. An important conclusion is that differences in Al, Si ordering may lead to very different vibrational spectra in crystals and glasses of otherwise gross chemical similarity.     

Crystal field and charge transfer spectrum of (Mg, Fe)SiO3 majorite

Majorite of bulk composition Mg_0.86Fe_0.15SiO₃ was synthesized at 19 GPa and 1900 °C at an oxygen fugacity close to the Re/ReO₂ buffer. Optical absorption spectra of polycrystalline samples were measured from 4000 to 25000cm^?1. The following features were observed: (1) Three bands at 4554, 6005 and 8093 cm^?1 due to the ⁵E_g → ⁵T_2g transition of Fe²⁺ in a distorted dodecahedral site. (2) A band at 9340 cm^?1 due to the transition ⁵T_2g → ⁵E_g of octahedral Fe²⁺. (3) A band at 22784 cm^?1 resulting from Fe³⁺, probably in an octahedral site (⁶A_1g → ⁴A_1g, ⁴E_g). (4) A very intense system of Fe²⁺ → Fe³⁺ intervalence charge transfer bands which can be modelled by two Gaussian components centered at 16542 and 20128 cm^?1. The existence of two components in the charge transfer spectrum could be related to the fact that the tetragonal majorite structure may contain Fe³⁺ in two different octahedral sites. The crystal field splitting Δ of Fe²⁺ in dodecahedral coordination is 5717 cm^?1. If a splitting of the ground state in the order of 1000 cm^?1 is assumed, this yields a crystal field stabilization energy (CFSE) of 3930 cm^?1, comparable to the CFSE of Fe²⁺ in pyrope-rich garnet. However, the splitting of ⁵T_2g is significantly higher than in pyrope. This would be consistent with Fe²⁺ preferentially occupying the more distorted one of the two dodecahedral sites in the majorite structure. For octahedral Fe²⁺, Δ= 9340 cm^?1 and CFSE=3736 cm^?1, assuming negligible splitting of the ground state.     

Variation of infrared absorption spectra in the system Bi2Al4−x Fe x O9 (x = 0–4), structurally related to mullite

The crystal structure of Bi₂Al_4−x Fe _x O₉ compounds (x = 0–4) has striking similarities with the crystal structure of mullite. A complete substitution of Al by Fe³⁺ in both octahedral and tetrahedral sites is a particular structural feature. The infrared (IR) spectra of the Bi₂M₄O₉ compounds (M = Al, Fe³⁺) are characterised by three band groups with band maxima in the 900–800, 800–600 and 600–400 cm⁻¹ region. Based on the spectroscopic results obtained from mullite-type phases, the present study focuses on the composition-dependent analysis of the 900–800 cm⁻¹ band group, which is assigned to Al(Fe³⁺)–O stretching vibrations of the corner-sharing MO₄ tetrahedra. The Bi₂Al₄O₉ and Bi₂Fe₄O₉ endmembers display single bands with maxima centred at 922 and 812 cm⁻¹, respectively. Intermediate Bi₂Al_4−x Fe _x O₉ compounds exhibit a distinct splitting into three relatively sharp bands, which is interpreted in terms of ordering effects within the tetrahedral pairs. Thereby the high-energy component band of the band triplet relates to Al–O–Al conjunctions and the low-energy component band to Fe–O–Fe conjunctions. The intermediate band is assigned to stretching vibrations of Al–O–Fe or Fe–O–Al configurations of the corner-sharing tetrahedral pairs. Bands in the 800–600 cm⁻¹ range are assigned to low-energy stretching vibrations of the MO₄ tetrahedra and to M–O–M bending vibrations of the tetrahedral pairs. Absorptions in the 600–400 cm⁻¹ range are essentially determined by M–O stretching modes of the M cations in octahedral coordination.     

Crystal chemistry of Sc-bearing synthetic diopsides

Scandium substitution in the diopside structure was studied by single-crystal X-ray diffraction on a series of synthetic diopside samples. These diopsides were doped with increasing amounts of Sc³⁺ through a coupled substitution involving ^M1(Sc³⁺)₁ ^M2[] ₁ ^T (B)₁ ^M1(Mg²⁺)_?1 ^M2(Ca²⁺)_?1 ^T(Si⁴⁺)_?1 exchange, whereby charge compensation is achieved by vacancies at the M2 sites and B at the tetrahedral sites. The substitution of scandium for magnesium at the M1 site results in an increase in volume and distortion of the M1O₆ polyhedron. The accompanying creation of vacancies at the M2 sites causes an increase in the M2 polyhedral volume. The modifications of the M1 and M2 polyhedra result in an increase of the polyhedral strip along the b lattice direction and a straightening of the tetrahedral chain. The geometrical modification of the M1 polyhedron due to scandium incorporation is comparable to those observed when similar amounts of Ti³⁺/Ti⁴⁺ substitute for Mg in the diopside structure, suggesting a structural control on the solubility of Sc and Ti in diopside that may influence the extent of the solid solutions between the Sc and Ti end-members.     

A note on the Raman spectra of water-bearing albite glasses

The Raman spectra of albite glasses with 4.5 and 6.6 weight percent water have been obtained, and are compared with that of a dry sample. The hydrous glasses show bands near 3600 cm^?1 due to O-H stretching, and a previously unreported weak band near 1600 cm^?1 due to bending of molecular H₂O. Other weak spectral features are discussed, and the effect of dissolved water on the aluminosilicate framework vibrations is considered.     

Polarized single-crystal FTIR-spectra of natural staurolite

Polarized infrared absorption spectra of thin single-crystal slabs parallel to (010) and (001) of a staurolite from Pizzo Forno, Ticino, with analyzed composition (Fe_2.9Mg_0.9Zn_0.1Mn_0.1)Al_17.5Ti_0.1(Si_7.7Al_0.3)O₄₈H₃ have been measured in the range of 3000–4000 cm^?1. From the pleochroitic behaviour of the OH-vibrations three groups of bands can be distinguished: the bands of group I, a strong band at 3445 cm^?1 plus a weak shoulder at 3358 cm^?1, and the bands of group II, a weak band centered at 3677 cm^?1 plus a shoulder at 3635 cm^?1, are assigned to the H1 and H2 protons, respectively. The bands of group III, a weak band at 3577 cm^?1 plus a shoulder, cannot be interpreted on the basis of the proton positions known so far. We assign them to an additional proton H3, which is bonded to O1 and shows a bifurcated hydrogen bridge to two O5 in a vacant T2 site.     

Spectroscopic active IVFe3+–VIFe3+ clusters in spinel–magnesioferrite solid solution crystals: a potential monitor for ordering in oxide spinels

Optical absorption spectra (OAS) of synthetic single crystals of the solid solution spinel sensu stricto (s.s.)–magnesioferrite, Mg(Fe³⁺Al_1???y)₂O₄ (0?y?≤ 0.3), have been measured between 12 500 and 28 500?cm^?1. Chemical composition and Fe³⁺ site distribution have been measured by electron microprobe and Mössbauer spectroscopy, respectively. Ferric iron is ordered to the tetrahedral site for samples with small magnesioferrite component, and this ordering is shown to increase with magnesioferrite component. The optical absorption spectra show a strong increase in band intensities with Fe³⁺→Al substitution. Prominent and relatively sharp absorption bands are observed at 25 300 and 21 300?cm^?1, while less intense bands occur at 22 350, 18 900, 17 900 and 15 100?cm^?1. On the basis of band energies, band intensities and the compositional effect on band intensity, as well as structural considerations, we assign the observed bands to electronic transitions in ^IVFe³⁺–^VIFe³⁺clusters. A linear relationship (R ²= 0.99) between the α_net value of the absorption band at 21 300?cm^?1 and [^IVFe³⁺]?·?[^VIFe³⁺] concentration product has been defined: α_net=2.2?+?15.8 [^IVFe³⁺]?·?[^VIFe³⁺]. Some of the samples have been heat-treated between 700 and 1000?°C to investigate the relation between Fe³⁺ ordering and absorption spectra. Increase of cation disorder with temperature is observed, which corresponds to a 4% reduction in the number of active clusters. Due to the high spatial resolution (??～?10?μm), the OAS technique may be used as a microprobe for determination of Fe³⁺ concentration or site partitioning. Potential applications of the technique include analysis of small crystals and of samples showing zonation with respect to total Fe³⁺ and/or ordering.     

First-principles study of OH defects in zircon

The infrared spectroscopic properties of selected OH defects in zircon are investigated by first-principles calculations. The explicit treatment of the coupled nature of OH motions in the stretching modes, together with the calculation of the intensity and polarization of absorption bands, makes it possible to directly compare theoretical and experimental data. The bands observed at 3,420 cm^?1 (polarization parallel to c axis) and 3,385 cm^?1 (polarization perpendicular to c axis) in natural and synthetic samples correspond to the IR-active vibrational modes of the hydrozircon defect, that is, fully protonated Si vacancy. The broad band observed at 3,515 cm^?1 in the spectrum of zircon crystals grown in F-rich environments is consistent with the occurrence of composite (OH,F) tetrahedral defects. Calculations also show that the band observed at 3,200 cm^?1 in the spectrum of synthetic undoped samples can be ascribed to fully protonated Zr vacancies. The theoretical values of integrated absorption coefficients indicate that general correlations can be reasonably used to determine the concentration of OH groups in zircon.     

Temperature dependence of Raman spectra of the quartz- and rutile-types of GeO2

The temperature dependence (at ambient pressure) of the Raman spectra of both the quartz- and rutile-types of GeO₂ has been studied from 109 to 874?K. All spectra were corrected for the effects of temperature and are presented in their reduced form to allow a direct comparison of intensities at all temperatures. In the quartz-type GeO₂, the Raman bands above 400?cm^?1 exhibited relatively larger temperature dependences and at least four of the bands in this region vary nonlinearly with increasing temperature. Deconvolution of the most intense Raman band at 700?cm^?1 in the rutile-type GeO₂ revealed the presence of a previously unreported band at 684?cm^?1 at 298?K which may arise from splitting of the A_1g mode. A nonlinear temperature dependence was observed for all the Raman bands above 600?cm^?1 in the rutile-type GeO₂ with the new band at 684?cm^?1 exhibiting the largest curvature. In common with previous studies of rutile-type oxides, the B_1g mode at 171?cm^?1 showed anomalous behaviour by increasing linearly in frequency with increasing temperature. In a separate experiment, the oxidation of metallic germanium in air demonstrated that the quartz-type GeO₂ is the preferred form of germanium oxide at temperatures above 745?K at atmospheric pressure. Thermodynamic calculations predict that the rutile-form of GeO₂ should be the stable species under these conditions. This suggests that atmospheric gases may have a marked effect on the kinetics and stability of the quartz and rutile forms of GeO₂.     

Vibrational structure of the S 2 − luminescence in scapolite

An analysis has been made of the strong yellow luminescence of S ₂ ^? in the silicate mineral scapolite. The emission spectrum is dependent upon excitation wavelength, indicating that S ₂ ^? occupies several different sites. The vibrational constants for the ground state average 609 cm^?1 for ω″₀, while ω″₀χ″₀=2.2cm^?1. For the excited state ω′₀=399cm^?1 and ω′₀χ′₀=1.0cm^?1. The intensities of the vibrational bands are described by a simple harmonic oscillator calculation.     

Water incorporation in synthetic and natural MgAl2O4 spinel

The solubility and incorporation mechanisms of water in synthetic and natural MgAl₂O₄ spinel have been investigated in a series of high-pressure/temperature annealing experiments. In contrast to most other nominally anhydrous minerals, natural spinel appears to be completely anhydrous. On the other hand, non-stoichiometric Al-rich synthetic (defect) spinel can accommodate several hundred ppm water in the form of structurally-incorporated hydrogen. Infrared (IR) spectra of hydrated defect spinel contain one main O-H stretching band at 3343-3352 cm⁻¹ and a doublet consisting of two distinct O-H bands at 3505-3517 cm⁻¹ and 3557-3566 cm⁻¹. IR spectra and structural refinements based on single-crystal X-ray data are consistent with hydrogen incorporation in defect spinel onto both octahedral and tetrahedral O-O edges. Fine structure of O-H bands in IR spectra can be explained by partial coupling of interstitial hydrogen with cation vacancies, or by the effects of Mg-Al disorder on the tetrahedral site. The concentration of cation vacancies in defect spinel is a major control on hydrogen affinity. The commercial availability of large single crystals of defect spinel coupled with high water solubility and similarities in water incorporation mechanisms between hydrous defect spinel and hydrous ringwoodite (Mg₂SiO₄) suggests that synthetic defect spinel may be a useful low-pressure analogue material for investigating the causes and consequences of water incorporation in the lower part of Earth’s mantle transition zone.     

Structure and cation disorder of hydrous ringwoodite, γ-Mg1.89Si0.98H0.30O4

The structure of a single crystal hydrous ringwoodite, Mg_1.89Si_0.98H_0.30O₄ synthesized at conditions of 1300?°C and 20?GPa has been analyzed. Crystallographic data for hydrous ringwoodite obtained are; Cubic with Space group: Fd3m (no. 227). a= 8.0693(5)?Å, V=526.41(9)?ų, Z=8, D_calc= 3.48?g?cm^?3. The results of site occupancy refinement using higher angle reflections showed the existence of a small degree of Mg²⁺-Si⁴⁺ disorder in the structure such as (Mg_1.84Si_0.05□_0.11)(Si_0.93Mg_0.05□_0.02)H_0.30O₄. The IR and Raman spectra were measured and OH vibration spectra were observed. A broad absorption band was observed in the IR spectrum and the maxima were observed at 3160?cm^?1 in the IR and at 3165?cm^?1 and 3685?cm^?1 in relatively sharp Raman spectra, which suggest that locations between O-O pairs around the octahedral 16c and 16d sites are possible sites for hydrogen.     

The influence of pressure on the OH valence vibration of zoisite

The influence of pressure on the OH-stretching vibration of zoiste has been studied by single crystal high pressure infrared spectroscopy. A band related to the OH-stretching vibration displayed a linear shift from 3170 cm^?1 at 1 bar to 2795 cm^?1 at 116 kbar. The half-band width increased linearly with respect to pressure from 60 cm^?1 at 1 bar to 500 cm^?1 at 116 kbar. The strength of the absorption of this band is strongly frequency dependent. The high-energy shift of a band at around 2200 cm^?1 on pressure increase indicates that this band is not due to a second OH-stretching vibration as previously suggested by Langer and Lattard (1980).     

Electronic absorption spectra of chromium-bearing sapphirine

Violet, non-pleochroic and greenish-blue, pleochroic chromium-substituted sapphirines were found in corundum-bearing spinel-websterite xenolites from the Yakutian kimberlite pipes Noyabrskaya (N) and Sludyanka (Sl), respectively. The crystallochemical formulae of sapphirine crystals from such xenolites were determined by EMP to be (Mg_3.40Fe_0.23Al_3.25Cr_0.16)^[6] Al _1.00 ^[6] [O₂/Al_4.53Si_1.47O₁₈] (N) and (Mg_2.53Fe_0.55 Mn_0.04Ti _0.03 ⁴⁺ Al_3.55Cr _0.08 ³⁺ )^[6]Al _1.00 ^[16] [O₂/Al_4.28Si_1.73O₁₈] (Sl). Single crystal spectra in the range 35000–6000 cm^1- showed a slightly polarization dependent absorption edge near 3200 cm^1- (N) or 30000 cm^1- (Sl) and unpolarized bands at 25300 and 17300 cm^1-, typical of spin-allowed transitions, derived from ⁴A_2g→⁴T_1g and ⁴A_2g→⁴T_2g, of Cr³⁺ in octahedral sites, with point symmetry C₁, of the structure. Another weak band at 23000 cm^?1 in the sapphirine-N spectra is attributed to low symmetry splitting of the excited ⁴T₁ (F)-State of Cr³⁺. These assignments lead to crystal field parameters Dq=1730cm^?1 and B= 685cm^?1 of Cr³⁺ in sapphirine. Crystallochemical and spectroscopic arguments suggest that Cr³⁺ subsitutes for Al in the M(1) or M(8) sites of the sapphirine structure. In addition to Cr³⁺-transitions, spectra of Sl exhibit weak dd-bands of Fe²⁺ at 10000 and 7700 cm^1-, which are unpolarized in consistency with the C₁ site symmetry of the octahedra in the structure. Spectra of Sl show also prominent, broad bands (Δv_1/2～-5000 cm^1-) at 15000 and 11000 cm^1-, which occur in E//Y(//b) and E//Z(//_c=12°) only and exhibit an intensity ratio α_Y∶α_z close to 1∶3. This result, the large half width, as well as band energy — MM distance considerations suggest that these bands originate from Fe^2+[6]-Fe^3+[6] charge-transfer transitions in wall octahedra M(1)M(2), M(6)M(7) etc., forming MM vectors of 30° with the c-axis. The lack of Fe²⁺-Fe³⁺ charge-transfer bands in sapphirine N might indicate a lower oxygen fugacity during the formation of the websterite from the Noyabrskaya pipe compared to that from the Sludyanka pipe.     

Raman study of MgCr2O4–Fe2+Cr2O4 and MgCr2O4–MgFe2 3+O4 synthetic series: the effects of Fe2+ and Fe3+ on Raman shifts

Two synthetic series of spinels, MgCr₂O₄–Fe²⁺Cr₂O₄ and MgCr₂O₄–MgFe₂ ³⁺O₄ have been studied by Raman spectroscopy to investigate the effects of Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺ on their structure. In the first case, where Fe²⁺ substitutes Mg within the tetrahedral site, there is a continuous and monotonic shift of the Raman modes A_1g and E_g toward lower wavenumbers with the increase of the chromite component into the spinel, while the F_2g modes remain nearly in the same position. In the second series, for low Mg-ferrite content, Fe³⁺ substitutes for Cr in the octahedral site; when the Mg-ferrite content nears 40 %, a drastic change in the Raman spectra occurs as Fe³⁺ starts entering the tetrahedral site as well, consequently pushing Mg to occupy the octahedral one. The Raman spectral region between 620 and 700 cm^?1 is associated to the octahedral site, where three peaks are present and it is possible to observe the Cr–Fe³⁺ substitution and the effects of order–disorder in the tetrahedral site. The spectral range at 500–620 cm^?1 region shows that there is a shift of modes toward lower values with the increase of the Mg-ferrite content. The peaks in the region at 200–500 cm^?1, when observed, show little or negligible Raman shift.     

The crystal chemistry of birefringent natural uvarovites. Part III. Application of the superposition model of crystal fields with a characterization of synthetic cubic uvarovite

Synthetic, flux-grown uvarovite, Ca₃Cr₂ [SiO₄]₃, was investigated by optical methods, electron microprobe analysis, UV-VIS-IR microspectrometry, and luminescence spectroscopy. The crystal structure was refined using single-crystal X-ray CCD diffraction data. Synthetic uvarovite is optically isotropic and crystallizes in the “usual” cubic garnet space group Ia3¯d [a=11.9973 Å, Z=8; 21524 reflections, R1=2.31% for 454 unique data and 18 variables; Cr–O=1.9942(6), Si–O=1.6447(6), Ca–O_a=2.3504(6), Ca–O_b= 2.4971(6) Å]. The structure of Ca₃Cr₂[SiO₄]₃ complies with crystal-chemical expectations for ugrandite group garnets in general as well as with predictions drawn from “cubically averaged” data of non-cubic uvarovite–grossular solid solutions (Wildner and Andrut 2001). The electronic absorption spectra of Cr³⁺ in trigonally distorted octahedra of synthetic uvarovite were analyzed in terms of the superposition model (SM) of crystal fields. The resulting SM and interelectronic repulsion parameters are =9532 cm^?1, =4650 cm^?1, power law exponent t ₄=6.7, Racah B₃₅=703 cm^?1 at 290 K (reference distance R ₀=1.995 Å; fixed power law exponent t ₂=3 and spin-orbit parameter ζ=135 cm^?1). The interelectronic repulsion parameters Racah B ₅₅=714 cm^?1 and C=3165 cm^?1 were extracted from spin-forbidden transitions. This set of SM parameters was subsequently applied to previously well-characterized natural uvarovite–grossular solid solutions (Andrut and Wildner 2001a; Wildner and Andrut 2001) using their extrapolated Cr–O bond lengths to calculate the energies of the spin-allowed bands. These results are in very good agreement with the experimentally determined band positions and indicate the applicability of the superposition model to natural 3d ^N prevailing systems in geosciences. Single-crystal IR absorption spectra of synthetic uvarovite in the region of the OH-stretching vibration exhibit one isotropic absorption band at 3508 cm^?1 at ambient conditions, which shifts to 3510 cm^?1 at 77 K. This band is caused by structurally incorporated hydroxyl groups via the (O₄H₄)-hydrogarnet substitution. The water content, calculated using an integral extinction coefficient ?=60417 cm^?2 l mol^?1, is c _H2O=33 ppm.     

Transition metal ions in silicate melts—I. Manganese in sodium silicate melts

Optical absorption spectra obtained on glasses quenched from sodium silicate melts show Mn³⁺ to be the dominant species for melts heated in air and Mn²⁺ to be the dominant species for melts heated at Po₂ = 10^?17 bar. The absorption spectrum of Mn³⁺ consists of an intense band at 20,000cm^?1 with a 15,000cm^?1 satellite possibly arising from the Jahn-Teller effect. The independence of the spectrum from melt composition and the high band intensity is offered as evidence for a distinct Mn³⁺ complex in the melt. The spectrum of Mn²⁺ is weak and many expected bands are not observed. A two-band luminescence spectrum from Mn²⁺ has been tentatively interpreted as due to Mn²⁺ in interstitial sites in the network and Mn²⁺ coordinated by non-bridging oxygens.     

The importance of organic phase diffusion in the solvent extraction of copper by LIX 64N — Experiments with a static interface cell

Previous studies have suggested that the extraction of copper by hydroxyoxime extractants involves mass transfer with chemical reaction. This paper reports the results of experiments where an aqueous copper solution (4.94 g dm^?3 copper, 5.26 g dm^?3 H₂SO₄) is contacted with a 5% v/v LIX 64N solution in Escaid 100, in a diffusion cell with a stagnant interface. The concentration-distance distribution of the diffusional band of copper complex which appeared in the organic phase was measured at various times, and the results can be modelled by equations based on diffusion about an interface with and without interfacial resistance.If the previously measured diffusion constants for copper in the aqueous and organic phases were used in the model, then an unrealistically high resistance (200,000–300,000 s cm^?1) would have to be chosen to obtain a correlation. If a low resistance (1,000 s cm^?1) is assumed and the previously measured diffusion constants for copper in the aqueous phase (5.2·10^?6 cm² s^?1) and copper in the organic phase (5.0·10^?6 cm² s^?1) are taken, then it is necessary to reduce the organic phase diffusion constant to 2·10^?6 cm² s^?1 to obtain correlation of the model with the data. It is proposed that as the organic product film develops, the diffusivity of the copper complex is reduced.