Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Raman study of potassium silicate glasses containing Rb[sup +], Sr[sup 2+], Y[sup 3+], and Zr[sup 4+]: Implications for cation solution mechanisms in multicomponent silicate liquids

Journal Article · · Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta; (United States)
 [1];  [2]
  1. Argonne National Lab., IL (United States)
  2. Brown Univ., Providence, RI (United States)

The parallel- and perpendicular-polarized Raman spectra of (1 - x) K[sub 2]O [center dot] xM[sup z+][sub 2/z]O [center dot] 4SiO[sub 2]e glasses are presented, where M is one of the Period V cations Rb[sup +], Sr[sup 2+], Y[sup 3+] or Zr[sup 4+]. These compositions represent the equal-oxygen substitution of a Period V cation for K[sup +], which preserves the ratio of nonbridging oxygen (NBO) to Si atoms but not, in general, the ratio of all oxygen to all cations. Rb[sup +] and K[sup +] occupy very similar sites and appear to share the same NBO with virtually no energetic penalty. As the valence of the Period V cation increases, so does the tendency of the cation to form silicate species that are depolymerized relative to the species dominating the structure of the bulk glass. The tendency to form regions comparatively rich in Si-O-Si bonds increases in the same sense. The dominant silicate species are those with 0 or 1 NBO in all glasses. The spectra indicate that K+ shares NBO with Rb[sup +] or Sr[sup 2+], that there is relatively little sharing of NBO by K[sup +] and Y[sup 3+], and that K[sup +] and Zr[sup 4+] share the same NBO in what appears to be a nearly fixed bulk stoichiometric K:Zr ratio of 2:1. The latter provides a mechanism for the substantial increase in ZrO[sub 2] solubility seen in peralkaline liquids. A novel means of expressing homogeneous equilibria in silicate liquids is presented, whereby it is possible to make concrete predictions about the coordination numbers of cations in silicate liquids and to predict how they might be affected by the presence of other cations.

DOE Contract Number:
W-31109-ENG-38
OSTI ID:
6973572
Journal Information:
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta; (United States), Journal Name: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta; (United States) Vol. 58:8; ISSN GCACAK; ISSN 0016-7037
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English