Crystal chemistry of Sc-bearing synthetic diopsides

Abstract

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.