Spectroscopic and bond-topological investigation of interstitial volatiles in beryl from Slovakia

Abstract

Nine beryl samples from Western Carpathians, Slovakia, were investigated by infrared and Raman spectroscopy and differential thermal analysis. Two types of water H2O I and H2O II were detected. Infrared spectroscopy proved the presence of water type I and II in the presence of alkali cations with several bands: (1) symmetric stretching vibration—ν1; (2) antisymmetric stretching mode—ν3; (3) bending vibration—ν2. The presence of singly and doubly coordinated type II water (IIs and IId) was confirmed by single-crystal IR spectroscopy. From Raman spectra a band at 3606 cm−1 was assigned to ν1 of water type I and the range of 3597–3600 cm−1 to water type II. The presence of doubly coordinating water indicates a relatively highly hydrated environment with the presence of alkali ions including Na as the dominant cation coordinated by H2O II. CO2 bands were detected only by single-crystal IR spectroscopy. Thermal analysis proved total water loss in the range of 1.4–2.0 wt% and three main dehydration events. Based on the study of bond-topological arrangements two molecules of H2O IId are each bound with two H···O1 bonds and one Na–OW bond with an angular distortion, and by releasing one H2O molecule more stable H2O IIs is produced. The H2O I molecule is bound only by two equivalent hydrogen bonds. The H2O IIs molecule with a Na–OW bond strength of 0.28 vu and two H···O1 bonds of 0.14 vu without any forced angular distortion is the most stable of all.