The crystal chemistry of ferric iron in Fe 0.05 Mg 0.95 SiO 3 perovskite as determined by Mössbauer spectroscopy in the temperature range 80-293 K

Abstract

Mossbauer spectra were recorded at multiple temperatures between 80 and 293 K to study the nature of Fe3+ in Fe0.05Mg0.95SiO3 perovskite that had been synthesised in a multianvil press at 1650 °C and 25 GPa at its mimimum \(\) stability limit. The Mossbauer data were fitted to a model with quadrupole splitting distributions (Fe2+) and Lorentzian lineshapes (Fe3+ and Fen+). The centre shift data were fitted to a Debye model with the following results: ΘM (Fe2+)=365±52 K and ΘM (Fe3+)=476±96 K. Hyperfine parameter data for Fe3+ suggest occupation of the octahedral site only. The average valence seen by the Mossbauer effect in rapid electron exchange that occurs between Fe2+ and Fe3+ is calculated from the hyperfine parameters to be 2.50±0.07. Correction of area fractions for site-dependent recoil-free fractions gives a value for Fe3+/∑Fe of 9.4±1.4%, which is independent of temperature. A perovskite phase of similar composition synthesised in the multianvil press at higher oxygen fugacity gives a value for Fe3+/∑Fe of 16±3%, where Fe3+ appears to occupy both sites in the perovskite structure.