Surinamite analogs in the MgO-Ga2O3-GeO2 and MgO-Al2O3-GeO2 systems

New germanate analogs of the mineral surinamite, Mg₃Al₄BeSi₃O₁₆, have been synthesized with composition Mg₄A₄Ge₃O₁₆ (A=Al, Ga) and have been characterized by powder X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The Al surinamite phase crystallizes with a primitive unit-cell (P2/n, a=10.153(1), b=11.708(2), c=9.920(1) Å, β=110.18 (2)° and Z=4) similar to that of the silicate mineral. The Ga surinamite-like phase crystallizes with a larger unit-cell (C2/c, a=10.308(2), b=23.690(5), c=10.057(l) Å, β=110.23 (2)° and Z=8). High-resolution electron microscopy has shown the common formation of intergrowths between the surinamite and sapphirine structures, illustrating the polysomatic structural relationship between them. Observations of disordered microstructures in the Al surinamite suggest the occurrence of a P2/n?C2/c transformation.