Minyulite:Its Atomicarrangement
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
AmericanMineralogisl, Volume62,pages 256-262, 1977 Minyulite:its atomicarrangement ANrHoNy R. Keupr'l Department of the Geophysical Sciences The Uniuersity of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637 Abstract Minyulite,K[Al,F(H,O),(PO,)rl, orthorhombic, space group pba2, a9.337(5), b 9.j40(5), c 5.522(3)A,Z : 2, possessesrigid dimericclusters of formula [AlrF(HrO)1(PO.)r(O")r], topologicallyidentical to the [Fe!+(OHXHTO).(SOn)r(O")r]clusters in copiapite,where Op and Os correspondto the phosphateand sulfate ligands,respectively. The structurewas solved by Pattersonand Fourier syntheses.Hydrogen atoms were located by difference synthesis.Least-squares refinement converged to R(hkl) = 0.022for 618reflections. The dimericcluster consists of two Al3+-O octahedrasharing one F- vertexand two POr tetrahedra, which further link the octahedra. The clusters link via shared octahe- dral-tetrahedralvertices to form sheetsparallel to {001}.Cavities in thesheets are occupied by K+ ions. One tetrahedralvertex is unsharedand acceptsfour hydrogenbonds from water moleculescoordinated to Ale+.These hydrogen bonds provide the only linkagebetween the sheets. The greateraffinity of Al8+ for F- than (OH) and the violation of electrostaticvalence balancewhen F- bonds to more than two Als+ cationsare suggestedas the reasonsfor the condensationof Al8+ octahedrainto dimers and chainsin aqueoussolution, leading ulti- matelyto the crystallizationof minyuliteand fluellite.The leucophosphitestructure may be preferredin the absenceof F-. Introduction Al3+-Fee+,phosphates, including leucophosphite, Minyulitewas originally described by Simpsonand KFeg+(OH)(PO4)r.2HrO,and its Al3+ analog.They LeMesurier(1933) as a new speciesfrom Minyulo noted that minyulite and leucophosphitecan be Well, WesternAustralia, where it occursas radiating synthesizedby the treatmentof clayswith phosphate groups of fine fibers on the surfacesof crevicesin anions at pH rangesappropriate for soil environ- phosphaticirqnstone. Using optical methods,they mentsand at temperaturesless than 95oC.They pro- establishedorthorhombic symmetry and proposed posed that theseminerals may be important in the the formula KAlr(OH,F)(POn)r.3.5HrO.Spencer e/ fixationof inorganicphosphate anions in soils. al. (1943)studied minyulite from Wait's quarry near Leucophosphitebears a striking chemical sim- Noarlunga,South Australia, where it occursin phos- ilarity to minyulite,and besidestheir possibleforma- phate rock as short prismaticcrystals in sub-parallel tion undersimilar conditions in the soil,the report of growth coatingapatite. From X-ray oscillationpho- leucophosphitein phosphaticrock associatedwith tographs,they determinedthe cell constantsa 9.35, iron ore at Bomi Hill and Bambuta,Liberia, by Ax- b 9.74,c 5.52Aand the spacegroup PmmL, the hemi- elrod el al. (1952) is further indication of similar morphic nature of the crystalsbeing establishedby paragenesesfor thesetwo minerals.A comparisonof etchfigures. The formulaKAlr(PO1)r(OH,F).4H2O, the structuresof minyulite and leucophosphitemay Z :2 wassuggested. lead to an understandingof the conditionsnecessary Hasemanet al. (1950) synthesizedminyulite, as for their formation. well as a number of other hydrous K+-NH1+, Also of interest for structural comparisonis the mineralfluellite, AlrFr(OHXHTO)s(POo). 4HrO. Mur- I (1973) fluellite Presentaddress: Geology-Mineralogy Section, Los Angeles ray reported occurring associated County Museumof Natural History, 900 ExpositionBlvd., Los with minyulite in phosphaterock near Wolffdene, Angeles,California 90007. Queensland,Australia, and fluellitehas been verified 256 KAMPF: MINYULITE 257 on a specimenof phosphaterock from Moculta Tesrr 2. Minyulite.Atomic coordinate parameters Quarry,Angaston, South Australia, provided by J. E. Johnsonof the SouthAustralian Museum. Atom Mult. Experimental The crystalstudied was extractedfrom a specimen K 2 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 A1 A 0.3s91(l) o.1r0s(1) 0.ss4s (4) from Wait's Quarry,kindly providedby J. E. John- son. Some difficulty was encounteredin finding a P i 0.1470(1) 0.3243(r) 0.2040(4) suitable single crystal, owing to the sub-parallel 0(r) A 0.4832(2) 0.178s(5) 0.1798(s) 1 (s) 0.46s8(3) o.i382(6) growth of individuals.By splittingcrystal clusters, an o(2) 0 .207s 0(3) A 0.207s(3) 0.2168(2) 0.0310(6) acceptablecrystal fragment was obtained, measuring 0 (4) 0.18s0(2) 0.2918(3) 0.467s(6) 0.07mm alongthe a andb axes,and 0.10 mm along the c axis.The crystalwas mountedparallel to the c 0w(r) A 0.2383(3) 0.042s(3) 0.67s3(7) (2) A 0.428s(3) 0.2s11(3) 0.7202(7) axls. 0Il/ Precessionphotographs indicated systematic ab- f 2 0.0000 0.5000 0.8217(6) sencescorresponding to the spacegroups Pbam and A (8) Pba2.The intensities (maximum H(l) 0 .226(4) 0.i10(4) 0 . ss6 of l3l5 reflections H(2) A 0 .234(4) 0.486(s) 0. s97(s) 20 : 55") weregathered on a Pickerautomated dif- H(5) A 0.3s2(4) 0.263(4) 0.606(8) fractometer utilizing graphite-monochromatizedH(4) A 0.002(4) 0.281(4) 0.608(8) MoKa radiation.Very smallmosaic spread permitted narrow half-anglescans of 0.4' with a scanrate of 1.0'/minute. Twenty-secondbackground counting times were used on either side of each reflection. determinedthe spacegroup to be Pba2.Subsequent Least-squaresrefinement of 30 referencereflections Fourier synthesisresolved the positions of all the yieldedthe cell constantsgiven in Table l. remainingnon-hydrogen atoms. Systematicabsences indicated by the intensitydata The atomic coordinatesand thermal vibration pa- confirmedthe spacegroup Pbamor Pba2.The data rameterswere refinedusing the NUCLS program, a wereprocessed by conventionalcomputational pro- modified versionof ORFLS by Businget al. (1962). parameter ceduresto obtainlF(obs)1. No absorptioncorrection Three cycles of full-matrix atomic and wasapplied, owing to the favorablesize and shapeof isotropic thermal vibration parameter refinement the crystaland the small absorptioncoefficient (p = convergedto R(hkl) : 0.044.Two cyclesof refine- ll.0 cm-1). After eliminationof the extinctreflec- ment usinganisotropic thermal vibration parameters tions and averagingof the symmetryequivalent re- convergedto R(hkl) : 0.033.A differenceFourier flections,618 independentreflections remained for synthesisyielded the locations of four unique H the ensuingstudy. atoms. A final two cyclesof refinement,including hydrogenatoms and applyinga secondaryextinction Solutionand refinementof the structure correction,converged to R : 0.022(Rw : 0.024). Three-dimensionalPatterson synthesi s, P(uuw),re- The extinctionparameter converged to 4.0(2)X l0-6. vealedthe positionsof the K, Al, and P atomsand Initially an oxygen atom was assignedto the atomic position (0 k 0.82). This yieldeda negative Test-e l. Minyulite.Crystal cell parameters temperaturefactor. During the final cyclesof refine- ment,fluorine was assigned to this location,and the parameters arEt e.337(s) final thermal vibration werecomparable 6iti 9. 740 (s) to thoseof the other anions.A fluorinedetermination (ii s.s22(3) " by Spenceret al. (1943)yielded 2.7 weightpercent F, Space group Pba2 indicatingat leasttwo fluorineatoms per unit cell. Z 2 Atomic scatteringfactors for K", Alo, Po,Oo, and Forrnula KAl2F (H2O) z(POq) z Fo wereobtained from Cromerand Mann (1968) and includedthe anomalousdispersion terms for K, Al, Specific gravityl 2.46 Density (calc) grn/crn3 P, and O. Scatteringfactors for H were obtained from et al. (1965).Final atomiccoordinates rspencer Stewarl. et al. (1943J. are presentedin Table 2 and anisotropicthermal 258 KAMPF: MINYULITE Tlsls 3. Minyulite.Anisotropic thermal vibration parameters* Brr Bzz 8ae 9tz Br: Bzt K 0.0031(r) 0.0049(r) 0.0r72(6) -0.0007(l) A1 0.0016(r) 0.0016(1) 0 . 00ss(4) 0.0001(1) -0.0003(2) -0.000i (2) P 0.0016(1) 0.0016(r) 0. 0047(3) 0.0025(1) 0.0006(2) 0.0006 (2) o(1) 0. 0016(2) 0 .002e(2) 0. 0070(9) -0.0001(2) 0.0001(s) -0 .0006 (s) o(2) 0.0020(3) 0.0018(2) 0.0119(11) 0.0001(2) -0.000e(4) 0.0007(s) o(3) 0 . 0023(3) 0.0023(2) 0. 0089(1 0) 0.0007(2) 0. 0000(4) -0.0013(s) o(4) 0. 0028(3) 0.0037(3) 0.0070(9J 0.0003(2) -0.0004(s) 0.oo09 (s) ohl(1) 0.003s(3) 0.0029(3) 0.0071(10) 0.0006(2) 0. 0000(s) -0.0010(s) oI^I(2) 0.0030(3) 0.002e (3) 0.007e(e) 0 . 0003(2) 0.0005(s) 0.000s(s) F 0 .0024(4) 0 .0024(3) 0 . 0060(1 r) -0.00cs(3) The anisotropic temperature factors are defined as coefficients in exp[-(Brrh2 + Bzzk2 +9339.' + 2g12hk + 28rsh.0 + 2S23k1) I . parametersin Table3. The structurefactors are listed beenreported by Fanfan\et al. (1973)in the structure in Table4.' of copiapite.In this mineral,Fe8+06 octahedra are joined via a common OH vertex and are further Descriptionof the structure linked via two SOr tetrahedrato form a rigid poly- hedralcluster topologically equivalent to that in min- Topologyand geometry of the structure yulite.Although the ligandenvironment of Me3+in Minyulitepossesses AIO'F octahedrawhich share the two structuresis identical,the linkage between F verticesforming [Al,F(HrO)4(Op).]octahedral di- clustersis not related.In copiapite,the clustersare mers,where Op correspondsto oxygensdonated by linked into chainsby sharingvertices of non-cluster the phosphateligands. Two (POr) tetrahedrafurther (SOn)tetrahedra (see Fig. 3 of Fanfaniet al.). link the octahedraof eachdimer, resultingin a rigid polyhedralcluster with ideal point symmetrymm2 Interatomicdistances andthe formula[AlrF(HrO)n(PO.)dop)r]. Each clus- Interatomic distancesand hydrogenbond angles ter sharestwo octahedraland two tetrahedralvertices are givenin Table 5. No abnormalaverage distances with tetrahedraand octahedraof four adjacentclus- arenoted, and no distinctionbetween Al-F and Al-O ters, thereby forming sheetsoriented parallel to the distancesis obvious.The electrostaticbond strength {001}plane. K+ cationsoccupy pockets in the sheets sumsabout the anionsare tabulatedin Table 6. The surroundedby four linked clusters.Significant devia- bimodaldistribution of Al-O bond distancesis con- tion from the ideal 4mm symmetryof the sheetsis sistentwith the extendedelectrostatic valence rule of probably necessaryto provide a stablecoordination Baur (1970).Al forms long bonds to two oxygens for the K+ cation.