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Dumortierite was synthesized in piston-cylinder experiments at 2.5-4.0 GPa, 650-700 degrees C in the Al2O3 -B2O3-SiO2-H2O (ABSH) system. Electron-microprobe (EMP) analyses reveal significant boron-excess (up to 0.26 B-[4] per formula unit, pfu) and silicon-deficiency relative to the ideal anhydrous dumortierite stoichiometry Al7BSi3O18 . The EMP data in conjunction with results from single-crystal Raman spectroscopy and powder X-ray diffraction provide evidence that silicon at the tetrahedral site is replaced by excess boron via the substitution Si-[4] <--> B-[4] + H. The Raman spectrum of synthetic dumortierite in the frequency region 2000 4000 cm(-1) comprises eight bands, of which six are located at frequencies below 3400 cm(-1). This points to strong hydrogen bonding, most likely O2-H center dot center dot center dot O7 and O7-H center dot center dot center dot O2, arising from a high number of octahedral vacancies at the All site and substitution of trivalent Al3+ and B3+ for Si4+ at Si1 and Si2 sites, causing decreasing acceptor-donor distances and lower incident valence at the acceptor oxygen. Contrary to the synthetic high-pressure ABSH-dumortierite, magnesiodumortierite from the Dora-Maira Massif, which is assumed to have formed at similar conditions (2.5-3.0 GPa, 700 degrees C), does not show any B-excess. Tourmaline shows an analogous behaviour in that magnesium-rich (e.g., dravitic) tourmaline formed at high pressure shows no or only minor amounts of tetrahedral boron, whereas natural aluminum-rich tourmaline and synthetic olenitic tourmaline formed at high pressures can incorporate significant amounts of tetrahedral boron. Two mechanisms might account for this discrepancy: (i) Structural avoidance of Mg-[6]-(OR3+)-R-[4] configurations in magnesiodumortierite due to charge deficieny at the oxygens O2 and O7 and strong local distortion of M1 due to decreased O2-O7 bond length, and/or (ii) decreasing fluid mobility of boron in Al-rich systems at high pressures.
Lithium is an important component of some tourmalines, especially in chemically evolved granites and pegmatites. All attempts at synthesizing Li-rich tourmaline have so far been unsuccessful. Here we describe the first synthesis of rossmanitic tourmaline at 4 GPa and 700 degrees C in the system Li2OAl2O3SiO2B2O3H2O (LASBH) from seed-free solid starting materials consisting of a homogenous mixture of Li2O, gamma-Al2O3, quartz and H3BO3. The solid run products after 12-day run duration comprise rossmanitic tourmaline (68 wt%), dumortierite (28 wt%) and traces of spodumene (3 wt%) and coesite (1 wt%). Tourmaline forms idiomorphic, large prismatic crystals (30 X 100 mu m), which are inclusion free and chemically unzoned. The refined cell dimensions of the tourmaline are: a = 15.7396(9) angstrom, c = 7.0575(5) angstrom, V = 1514.1(2) angstrom 3. Conventionally, the Li+ ion is assumed to exclusively occupy the octahedral Y site in the tourmaline structure to a maximum of 2 Li per formula unit (pfu). However, the chemical composition of our synthetic tourmaline determined by electron microprobe and secondary ion mass spectroscopy results in the formula: (X)(square Li-0.67(11)(0.33(11)))(Y)(Al2.53(10)Li0.47(10))(Z)(Al-6)T(Si5.42(15)B0.58(15))O-18(B)(BO3)(3)(V+W)[(OH)(2.40(3))O-1.60(3)], wherein a significant amount of Li occupies the X site for charge balance requirements. Reliable assignment of the OH-stretching vibrations in a polarized single-crystal Raman spectrum such as a single-crystal XRD structure refinement, confirms the incorporation of Li at the X site [0.24(9) and 0.15(5) Li-X pfu, respectively]. The SREF data show that the LiO1 distances are shortened significantly in order to compensate for the smaller ionic radius of Li+ compared to Na+, K+ or Ca2+ at the X site, i.e., Li is closer to the Si6O18 ring and to a sevenfold coordination with oxygen.