Tatarinovite Са3Al(SO4)[В(ОH)4](ОH)6 · 12H2O, a new ettringite-group mineral from the Bazhenovskoe deposit, Middle Urals, Russia, and its crystal structure

Abstract

A new mineral, tatarinovite, ideally Са3Аl(SO4)[В(ОН)4](ОН)6 · 12Н2O, has been found in cavities of rhodingites at the Bazhenovskoe chrysotile asbestos deposit, Middle Urals, Russia. It occurs (1) colorless, with vitreous luster, bipyramidal crystals up to 1 mm across in cavities within massive diopside, in association with xonotlite, clinochlore, pectolite and calcite, and (2) as white granular aggregates up to 5 mm in size on grossular with pectolite, diopside, calcite, and xonotlite. The Mohs hardness is 3; perfect cleavage on (100) is observed. D meas = 1.79(1), D calc = 1.777 g/cm3. Tatarinovite is optically uniaxial (+), ω = 1.475(2), e = 1.496(2). The IR spectrum contains characteristic bands of SO4 2−, CO3 2−, B(OH)4 −, B(OH)3, Al(OH)6 3-, Si(OH)6 2-, OH–, and H2O. The chemical composition of tatarinovite (wt %; ICP-AES; H2O was determined by the Alimarin method; CO2 was determined by selective sorption on askarite) is as follows: 27.40 CaO, 4.06 B2O3, 6.34 A12O3, 0.03 Fe2O3, 2.43 SiO2, 8.48 SO3, 4.2 CO2, 46.1 H2O, total is 99.04. The empirical formula (calculated on the basis of 3Ca apfu) is H31.41Ca3.00(Al0.76Si0.25)Σ1.01 · (B0.72S0.65C0.59)Σ1.96O24.55. Tatarinovite is hexagonal, space gr. P63, a = 11.1110(4) A, c = 10.6294(6) A, V = 1136.44(9) A3, Z = 2. Its crystal chemical formula is Са3(Аl0.70Si0.30) · {[SO4]0.34[В(ОН)4]0.33[СO3]0.24}{[SO4]0.30[В(ОН)4]0.34[СО3]0.30[В(ОН)3]0.06}(ОН5·73О0.27) · 12Н2O. The strongest reflections of the powder X-ray diffraction pattern [d, A (I, %) (hkl)] are 9.63 (100) (100), 5.556 (30) (110), 4.654 (14) (102), 3.841 (21) (112), 3.441 (12) (211), 2.746 (10) (302), 2.538 (12) (213). Tatarinovite was named in memory of the Russian geologist and petrologist Pavel Mikhailovich Tatarinov (1895–1976), a well-known specialist in chrysotile asbestos deposits. Type specimens have been deposited at the Fersman Mineralogical Museum of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow.