EXAFS and XRD investigations of zeunerite and meta-zeunerite

Abstract

Abstract In this paper EXAFS was used to determine bond lengths in the structures of zeunerite and meta-zeunerite. The atomic distances between heavy and light scatterers observed using EXAFS in meta-zeunerite deviate approximately 0.1 Å from literature data of single-crystal X-ray diffraction measurements. Because this difference is significant higher than the error limits of EXAFS measurements, the complete crystal structure of meta-zeunerite, Cu[UO2AsO4]2·8 H2O, is revised by X-ray structure analysis. The bond length determinations by EXAFS and the revised XRD data agree within the experimental error limits. In this study EXAFS spectroscopy has proven to be an useful tool for determining precise local bond lengths in the environment of heavy atoms. Moreover, the crystal structure of zeunerite, Cu[UO2AsO4]2·12 H2O, hitherto not been described in the literature, was investigated. Reflex broadening effects and intergrowth relationship between zeunerite and meta-zeunerite show that meta-zeunerite grows in nature due to dehydration of zeunerite. The structural transition from zeunerite to meta-zeunerite is connected with a change in the uranyl arsenate layer arrangement and the crystal water content.