Influence of the X-site composition on tourmaline’s crystal structure: investigation of synthetic K-dravite, dravite, oxy-uvite, and magnesio-foitite using SREF and Raman spectroscopy

Abstract

The crystal structures of synthetic K-dravite [XKYMg 3 Z Al 6 T Si6O18(BO3) 3 V (OH) 3 W (OH)], dravite [XNaYMg 3 Z Al 6 T Si6O18(BO3) 3 V (OH) 3 W (OH)], oxy-uvite [XCaYMg 3 Z Al 6 T Si6O18(BO3) 3 V (OH) 3 W O], and magnesio-foitite [X☐Y(Mg2Al)ZAl 6 T Si6O18(BO3) 3 V (OH) 3 W (OH)] are investigated by polarized Raman spectroscopy, single-crystal structure refinement (SREF), and powder X-ray diffraction. The use of compositionally simple tourmalines characterized by electron microprobe analysis facilitates the determination of site occupancy in the SREF and band assignment in the Raman spectra. The synthesized K-dravite, oxy-uvite, and magnesio-foitite have significant Mg–Al disorder between their octahedral sites indicated by their respective average 〈Y–O〉 and 〈Z–O〉 bond lengths. The Y- and Z-site compositions of oxy-uvite (YMg1.52Al1.48(10) and ZAl4.90Mg1.10(15)) and magnesio-foitite (YAl1.62Mg1.38(18) and ZAl4.92Mg1.08(24)) are refined from the electron densities at each site. The Mg–Al ratio of the Y and Z sites is also determined from the relative integrated peak intensities of the Raman bands in the O–H stretching vibrational range (3250–3850 cm−1), producing values in good agreement with the SREF data. The unit cell volume of tourmaline increases from magnesio-foitite (1558.4(3) A3) to dravite (1569.5(4)–1571.7(3) A3) to oxy-uvite (1572.4(2) A3) to K-dravite (1588.1(2) A3), mainly due to lengthening of the crystallographic c-axis. The increase in the size of the X-site coordination polyhedron from dravite (Na) to K-dravite (K) is accommodated locally in the crystal structure, resulting in the shortening of the neighboring O1–H1 bond. In oxy-uvite, Ca2+ is locally associated with a deprotonated W (O1) site, whereas vacant X sites are neighbored by protonated W (O1) sites. Increasing the size of the X-site-occupying ion does not detectably affect bonding between the other sites; however, the higher charge of Ca and the deprotonated W (O1) site in oxy-uvite are correlated to changes in the lattice vibration Raman spectrum (100–1200 cm−1), particularly for bands assigned to the T 6O18 ring. The Raman spectrum of magnesio-foitite shows significant deviations from those of K-dravite, dravite, and oxy-uvite in both the lattice and O–H stretching vibrational ranges (100–1200 and 3250–3850 cm−1, respectively). The vacant X site is correlated with long- and short-range changes in the crystal structure, i.e., deformation of the T 6O18 ring and lengthening of the O1–H1 and O3–H3 bonds. However, X-site vacancies in K-dravite, dravite, and oxy-uvite result only in the lengthening of the neighboring O1–H1 bond and do not result in identifiable changes in the lattice-bonding environment.