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Title: Crystal-structure analysis of four mineral samples of anhydrite, CaSO[subscript 4], using synchrotron high-resolution powder X-ray diffraction data

Journal Article · · Powder Diffr.
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1154/1.3659285· OSTI ID:1033014

The crystal structures of four samples of anhydrite, CaSO{sub 4}, were obtained by Rietveld refinements using synchrotron high-resolution powder X-ray diffraction (HRPXRD) data and space group Amma. As an example, for one sample of anhydrite from Hants County, Nova Scotia, the unit-cell parameters are a = 7.00032(2), b = 6.99234(1), c = 6.24097(1) {angstrom}, and V = 305.487(1) {angstrom}{sup 3} with a > b. The eight-coordinated Ca atom has an average <Ca-O> distance of 2.4667(4) {angstrom}. The tetrahedral SO{sub 4} group has two independent S-O distances of 1.484(1) to O1 and 1.478(1) {angstrom} to O2 and an average <S-O> distance of 1.4810(5) {angstrom}. The three independent O-S-O angles [108.99(8) x 1, 110.38(3) x 4, 106.34(9){sup o} x 1; average <O-S-O> [6] = 109.47(2){sup o}] and S-O distances indicate that the geometry of the SO{sub 4} group is quite distorted in anhydrite. The four anhydrite samples have structural trends where the a, b, and c unit-cell parameters increase linearly with increasing unit-cell volume, V, and their average <Ca-O> and <S-O> distances are nearly constant. The grand mean <Ca-O> = 2.4660(2) {angstrom}, and grand mean <S-O> = 1.4848(3) {angstrom}, the latter is longer than 1.480(1) {angstrom} in celestite, SrSO{sub 4}, as expected.

Research Organization:
Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Advanced Photon Source (APS)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC)
OSTI ID:
1033014
Journal Information:
Powder Diffr., Vol. 26, Issue (4) ; 2011; ISSN 0885-7156
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
ENGLISH