A structure hierarchy is developed for chain-, ribbon- and tube-silicate based on the connectedness of one-dimensional polymerisations of (TO4)n− tetrahedra, where T = Si4+ plus P5+, V5+, As5+, Al3+, Fe3+, B3+, Be2+, Zn2+ and Mg2+. Such polymerisations are described by a geometrical repeat unit (with ng tetrahedra) and a topological repeat unit (or graph) (with nt vertices). The connectivity of the tetrahedra (vertices) in the geometrical (topological) repeat units is denoted by the expression cTr (cVr) where c is the connectivity (degree) of the tetrahedron (vertex) and r is the number of tetrahedra (vertices) of connectivity (degree) c in the repeat unit. Thus cTr = 1Tr12Tr23Tr34Tr4 (cVr = 1Vr12Vr23Vr34Vr4) represents all possible connectivities (degrees) of tetrahedra (vertices) in the geometrical (topological) repeat units of such one-dimensional polymerisations. We may generate all possible cTr (cVr) expressions for chains (graphs) with tetrahedron (vertex) connectivities (degrees) c = 1 to 4 where r = 1 to n by sequentially increasing the values of c and r, and by ranking them accordingly. The silicate (sensu lato) units of chain-, ribbon- and tube-silicate minerals are identified and associated with the relevant cTr (cVr) symbols. Following description and association with the relevant cTr (cVr) symbols of the silicate units in all chain-, ribbon- and tube-silicate minerals, the minerals are arranged into decreasing O:T ratio from 3.0 to 2.5, an arrangement that reflects their increasing structural connectivity. Considering only the silicate component, the compositional range of the chain-, ribbon- and tube-silicate minerals strongly overlaps that of the sheet-silicate minerals. Of the chain-, ribbon- and tube-silicates and sheet silicates with the same O:T ratio, some have the same cVr symbols (vertex connectivities) but the tetrahedra link to each other in different ways and are topologically different. The abundance of chain-, ribbon- and tube-silicate minerals decreases as O:T decreases from 3.0 to 2.5 whereas the abundance of sheet-silicate minerals increases from O:T = 3.0 to 2.5 and decreases again to O:T = 2.0. Some of the chain-, ribbon- and tube-silicate minerals have more than one distinct silicate unit: (1) vinogradovite, revdite, lintisite (punkaruaivite) and charoite have mixed chains, ribbons and/or tubes; (2) veblenite, yuksporite, miserite and okenite have clusters or sheets in addition to chains, ribbons and tubes. It is apparent that some chain-ribbon-tube topologies are favoured over others as of the ~450 inosilicate minerals, ~375 correspond to only four topologically unique graphs, the other ~75 minerals correspond to ~46 topologically unique graphs.
Fluorapophyllite-(Cs) (IMA 2018-108a), ideally CsCa4(Si8O20)F(H2O)8, is an apophyllite-group mineral from the moraine of the Darai-Pioz glacier, Tien-Shan, Northern Tajikistan. Associated minerals are quartz, pectolite, baratovite, aegirine, leucosphenite, pyrochlore, neptunite, fluorapophyllite-(K), and reedmergnerite. Fluorapophyllite-(Cs) is a hydrothermal mineral. It is colorless and has a vitreous luster and a white streak. Cleavage is perfect; it is brittle and has a stepped fracture. Mohs hardness is 4.5–5. Dmeas. = 2.54(2) g/cm3, Dcalc. = 2.513 g/cm3. Fluorapophyllite-(Cs) is unixial (+) with refractive indices (λ = 589 nm) ω = 1.540(2), ε = 1.544(2). It is non-pleochroic. Chemical analysis by electron microprobe gave SiO2 48.78, Al2O3 0.05, CaO 22.69, Cs2O 10.71, K2O 1.13, Na2O 0.04, F 1.86, H2Ocalc. 14.61, –O=F2 –0.78, sum 99.09 wt.%; H2O was calculated from crystal-structure analysis. The empirical formula based on 29 (O + F) apfu, H2O = 8 pfu, is (Cs0.75K0.24)Σ0.99(Ca3.99Na0.01)Σ4(Si8.01Al0.01)Σ8.02O20.03F0.97(H2O)8, Z = 2. The simplified formula is (Cs,K)(Ca,Na)4(Si,Al)8O20F(H2O)8. Fluorapophyllite-(Cs) is tetragonal, space group P4/mnc, a 9.060(6), c 15.741(11) Å, V 1292.10(19) Å3. The crystal structure has been refined to R1 = 4.31% based on 498 unique (Fo > 4σF) reflections. In the crystal structure of fluorapophyllite-(Cs), there is one [4]T site occupied solely by Si, <T–O> = 1.615 Å. SiO4 tetrahedra link to form a (Si8O20)8– sheet perpendicular to [001]. Between the Si–O sheets, there are two cation sites: A and B. The A site is coordinated by eight H2O groups [O(4) site], A–O(4) = 3.152(4) Å; the A site contains Cs0.75K0.24□0.01, ideally Cs apfu. The Cs–O bond length of 3.152 Å is definitely larger than the K–O bond length of 2.966–2.971 Å in fluorapophyllite-(K), KCa4(Si8O20)F(H2O)8. The [7]B site contains Ca3.99Na0.01, ideally Ca4apfu; <B–φ> = 2.417 Å (φ = O, F, H2O). The Si–O sheets connect via A and B polyhedra and hydrogen bonding; two H atoms have been included in the refinement. Fluorapophyllite-(Cs) is isostructural with fluorapophyllite-(K). Fluorapophyllite-(Cs) is a Cs-analogue of fluorapophyllite-(K).
Bortolanite (IMA 2021–040a), ideally Ca2(Ca1.5Zr0.5)Na(NaCa)Ti(Si2O7)2(FO)F2, is a rinkite-group (seidozerite supergroup) TS-block mineral from Poços de Caldas massif, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Associated minerals are götzenite, nepheline, alkali feldspar, aegirine, natrolite, analcime, and manganoan pectolite. Bortolanite shows complex compositional zoning with götzenite and is visually indistinguishable from götzenite. Bortolanite is pale-yellow to brown and has a vitreous luster. Cleavage is perfect parallel to {100}. Mohs hardness is 5. Bortolanite fluoresces weak yellow under ultraviolet light (100–280 nm). Dcalc. = 3.195 g/cm3. Bortolanite is biaxial (+) with refractive indices (λ = 589.3 nm) α = 1.673(2), β = 1.677(2), γ = 1.690(2); 2Vmeas. = 56(2)°, 2Vcalc. = 58.4°. Chemical analysis by electron microprobe gave Nb2O5 1.07, HfO2 0.20, ZrO2 6.70, TiO2 9.94, SiO2 32.49, Gd2O3 0.12, Nd2O3 0.37, Ce2O3 1.25, La2O3 0.65, Y2O3 0.31, FeO 0.59, MnO 1.46, CaO 31.15, Na2O 8.36, F 6.95, O=F –2.93, sum 98.68 wt.%. The empirical formula based on 18 (O + F) apfu is (Ca1.88La0.03Ce0.06Nd0.02Gd0.01)Σ2[Ca1.56(Zr0.41Hf0.01Y0.02)Σ0.44]Σ2(Na0.85Ca0.15)Σ1(Na1.18Ca0.60Mn0.16Fe2+0.06)Σ2(Ti0.94Nb0.06)Σ1(Si4.07O14)(O1.24F0.76)Σ2F2, Z = 1. The simplified formula is Ca2(Ca,Zr)2Na(Na,Ca)2Ti(Si2O7)2(O,F)2F2. Bortolanite is triclinic, space group P, a 9.615(3), b 5.725(2), c 7.316(2) Å, α 89.91(1), β 101.14(1), γ 100.91(1)°, V 387.7(3) Å3. The crystal structure was refined to R1 = 3.19% on the basis of 2194 unique reflections [F > 4σ(F)] measured using a Bruker APEX II ULTRA three-circle diffractometer with a rotating-anode generator (MoKα), multilayer optics, and an APEX II 4K CCD detector. The crystal structure of bortolanite is a framework of TS (Titanium-Silicate) blocks [structure type B3(RG)], where the TS block consists of HOH sheets (H-heteropolyhedral, O-octahedral). The TS block exhibits linkage and stereochemistry typical for the rinkite group where Ti (+ Nb + Zr) = 1 apfu. The O sheet is composed of Ti-dominant MO(1) octahedra, [8]Na-dominant MO(2) polyhedra and (Na,Ca) MO(3) octahedra. In the H sheet in bortolanite, Si2O7 groups link to (Ca1.5Zr0.5) MH and Ca-dominant AP octahedra. Along a, TS blocks link directly through common edges of MH and AP polyhedra and common vertices of MH, AP, and Si polyhedra of the H sheets belonging to two TS blocks. The name bortolanite is after the locality: the Bortolan quarry in the Poços de Caldas massif, Brazil. Bortolanite is isostructural with three rinkite-group minerals: fogoite-(Y), hainite-(Y), and götzenite.
Uvite, CaMg3(Al5Mg)(Si6O18)(BO3)3(OH)3(OH), is a new mineral of the tourmaline supergroup. It occurs in the Facciatoia quarry, San Piero in Campo, Elba Island, Italy (42°45′04.55″N, 10°12′50.89″E) at the centre of a narrow (2–3 cm wide) vein composed of aggregates of dark brown to black tourmaline, penetrating (magnesite + dolomite)-rich hydrothermally altered metaserpentinite. Crystals are euhedral and up to 1 cm in size, brown with a vitreous lustre, conchoidal fracture and grey streak. Uvite has a Mohs hardness of ~7½, a calculated density of 3.115 g/cm3 and is uniaxial (–). Uvite has trigonal symmetry, space group R3m, a = 15.9519(10) Å, c = 7.2222(5) Å, V = 1597.3(1) Å3 and Z = 3. The crystal structure was refined to R1 = 1.77% using 1666 unique reflections collected with MoKα X-rays. Crystal-chemical analysis resulted in the empirical crystal-chemical formula $^X ({\rm Ca}_{0.61}{\rm Na}_{{0.35}} \square_{{0.04}})_{\Sigma 1.00}{}^{Y} \left( {{\rm Mg}_{1.50}{\rm Fe}^{2 + }_{0.47} {\rm Al}_{0.71}{\rm Fe}^{3 + }_{0.14} {\rm Ti}_{0.18}} \right)_{\Sigma 3.00}$ ${}^{Z} \left( {{\rm Al}_{4.54}{\rm Fe}^{3 + }_{0.18} {\rm V}^{3 + }_{0.02} {\rm Mg}_{1.27}} \right)_{\Sigma 6.00}{}^{T}\left[ {{\left( {{\rm Si}_{5.90}{\rm Al}_{0.10}} \right)}_{\Sigma 6.00}{\rm O}_{18}} \right]{\rm } \left( {\rm BO_3} \right)_3^{} {^{\rm O(3)}}\left( {\rm OH} \right)_3{}^{{\rm O}\left( 1 \right)} [\left( {\rm OH} \right)_{0.55}{\rm F}_{0.05}{\rm O}_{0.40}]_{\Sigma 1.00}$ which recast in its ordered form for classification purposes is: $$\eqalign{& ^{\rm X} ({\rm Ca}_{0.61}{\rm Na}_{0.35}\squ _{0.04})_{\Sigma 1.00}{}^{\rm Y} \left( {{\rm Mg}_{2.35}{\rm Fe}^{2 + }_{0.47} {\rm Ti}_{0.18}} \right)_{\Sigma 3.00} \cr & {}^{\rm Z} \left( {{\rm Al}_{5.25}{\rm Fe}^{3 + }_{0.32} {\rm V}^{3 + }_{0.02} {\rm Mg}_{0.42}} \right)_{\Sigma 6.00}{}^{\rm T} \left[ {{\left( {{\rm Si}_{5.90}{\rm Al}_{0.10}} \right)}_{\Sigma 6.00}{\rm O}_{18}} \right]{\rm }\left( {\rm BO_3} \right)_3{}^{\rm V} \left( {\rm OH} \right)_3{}^{\rm W} [\left( {\rm OH} \right)_{0.55}{\rm F}_{0.05}{\rm O}_{0.40}]_{\Sigma 1.00}}$$ Uvite is a hydroxy-species belonging to the calcic-group of the tourmaline supergroup. The closest end-member compositions of valid tourmaline species are fluor-uvite and feruvite, to which uvite is related by the substitutions W(OH)– ↔ WF– and YMg2+ ↔ YFe2+, respectively. The occurrence of a solid-solution between uvite and magnesio-lucchesiite, according to the substitution ZMg2+ + W(OH)– ↔ ZAl3+ + WO2–, is supported by experimental data. The new mineral was approved by the IMA–CNMNC (IMA 2019-113). Uvite from Facciatoia formed by the reaction between B-rich fluids, released during the crystallisation process of LCT pegmatites, and the surrounding metaserpentinites, altered by contact metamorphism in the aureole of the Miocene Mt. Capanne monzogranitic pluton.
In this work we report on a complete crystal-chemical characterization of a near end-member riebeckite from Malawi, and use the available data to critically compare information obtained from different analytical methods. The sample occurs as well-formed and very large single crystals in pegmatitic rocks. Accurate site-populations were determined by combining single-crystal structure refinement and electron microprobe analysis (EMPA). The Fe3+/Fe2+ ratio was obtained from Mössbauer spectroscopy. Lithium was quantified by Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy (LA-ICP-MS).Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectra, collected both on powders and single crystals, are presented and discussed. FTIR spectra in the NIR region are also presented for the first time for this amphibole. The FTIR data are compatible with complete local ordering of A cations close to F, and complete Fe2+/Mg disorder at M(1,3). Polarized Raman-scattering data collected from single crystals confirm this conclusion. In addition, it was found that FTIR data collected on powders provide the best agreement with the site occupancies derived from chemical (EMPA and LA-ICP-MS) and crystal-chemical data, possibly because they do not depend on experimental issues such as orientation and polarization.
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