Symmetry and topological analysis of the OD nenadkevichite-labuntsovite-zorite family

Abstract

The symmetry and topology of the structures of nenadkevichite, labuntsovite, and zorite minerals are analyzed within the Dornberger-Schiff OD theory. The common “layers,” their symmetry, and the symmetry variants of their stacking determining their diversity and close structural characteristics are considered, which allowed us to relate these minerals to one family. According to the fundamental theorem of the OD theory, the number Z of possible combinations of aperiodic blocks inserted between the layers in zorite equals two simultaneously along two axes of the structure, which explains the structural disorder. Some hypothetical structures are also considered.