Ephesite, Na(LiAl2) [Al2Si2O10] (OH)2: I. thermal stability and standard state thermodynamic properties

Abstract

Ephesite, Na(LiAl2) [Al2Si2O10] (OH)2, has been synthesized for the first time by hydrothermal treatment of a gel of requisite composition at 300≦T(° C)≦700 and \(P_{H_2 O}\) upto 35 kbar. At \(P_{H_2 O}\) between 7 and 35 kbar and above 500° C, only the 2M1 polytype is obtained. At lower temperatures and pressures, the 1M polytype crystallizes first, which then inverts to the 2M1 polytype with increasing run duration. The X-ray diffraction patterns of the 1M and 2M1 poly types can be indexed unambiguously on the basis of the space groups C2 and Cc, respectively.