Diamond formation in the deep lower mantle: a high-pressure reaction of MgCO3 and SiO2

High-pressure synthesis and crystal structure of iron sp3-carbonate (Fe2[C4O10]) featuring pyramidal [C4O10]4- anions

The behavior of iron carbonates at high pressures is relevant for geological processes occurring in Earth interiors. Here, cubic iron sp3-carbonate Fe2[C4O10] was synthesized in diamond anvil cell by reacting Fe2O3 and CO2 at 65(4) GPa and 3000(±500) K, simulating the environment of localized thermal anomalies in the mantle. The crystal structure, determined by in situ single-crystal X-ray diffraction, features pyramidal [C4O10]4- anions. The experimental crystal structure corresponds to a structural model from density functional theory calculations. Experimentally determined values for zero-pressure volume V0 and bulk modulus K0 are: V0 = 1059(17) Å3, K0 = 160(18) GPa, The DFT-calculated Raman spectrum, modeled with zinc substituting iron, matches the experimental one, supporting the structural model's accuracy. Fe2[C4O10] remained stable upon decompression down to 25 GPa, below which it amorphized. DFT calculations also reveal a spin crossover of Fe2+ cations at 95 GPa, which is significantly higher than in other Fe2+-containing carbonates.

Comparative study on high-pressure physical properties of monoclinic MgCO3 and Mg2CO4

The physical properties of Mg-carbonate at high temperature and pressure are crucial for understanding the deep carbon cycle. Here, we use first-principles calculations to study the physical properties of MgCO3-C2/m and Mg2CO4-P21/c under high pressure. The research shows that the structure and equation of state of MgCO3-C2/m are in good agreement with the experimental results, and the phase transition pressure of Mg2CO4 from pnma to P21/c structure is 44.66 GPa. By comparing the elastic properties, seismic properties and anisotropy of MgCO3-C2/m and Mg2CO4-P21/c, it is found that the elastic modulus and sound velocity of Mg2CO4-P21/c are smaller than those of MgCO3-C2/m, while the anisotropy is larger than that of MgCO3-C2/m. These results indicate that Mg2CO4-P21/c exists in the deep mantle and may be the main reason why carbonate cannot be detected. The minimum thermal conductivity of MgCO3-C2/m and Mg2CO4-P21/c is the largest in the [010] direction and the smallest in the [001] direction. The thermodynamic properties of MgCO3-C2/m and Mg2CO4-P21/c are predicted using the quasi-harmonic approximation (QHA) method.

Synthesis and Structure of Pb[C2O5]: An Inorganic Pyrocarbonate Salt

We have synthesized Pb[C₂O₅], an inorganic pyrocarbonate salt, in a laser-heated diamond anvil cell (LH-DAC) at 30 GPa by heating a Pb[CO₃] + CO₂ mixture to ≈2000(200) K. Inorganic pyrocarbonates contain isolated [C₂O₅]^2- groups without functional groups attached. The [C₂O₅]^2- groups consist of two oxygen-sharing [CO₃]^3- groups. Pb[C₂O₅] was characterized by synchrotron-based single-crystal structure refinement, Raman spectroscopy, and density functional theory calculations. Pb[C₂O₅] is isostructural to Sr[C₂O₅] and crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2₁/c with Z = 4. The synthesis of Pb[C₂O₅] demonstrates that, just like in other carbonates, cation substitution is possible and that therefore inorganic pyrocarbonates are a novel family of carbonates, in addition to the established sp² and sp³ carbonates.

First-principles calculations of high-pressure physical properties anisotropy for magnesite

The first-principles calculations based on density functional theory with projector-augmented wave are used to study the anisotropy of elastic modulus, mechanical hardness, minimum thermal conductivity, acoustic velocity and thermal expansion of magnesite (MgCO₃) under deep mantle pressure. The calculation results of the phase transition pressure, equation of state, elastic constants, elastic moduli, elastic wave velocities and thermal expansion coefficient are consistent with those determined experimentally. The research results show that the elastic moduli have strong anisotropy, the mechanical hardness gradually softens with increasing pressure, the conduction velocity of heat in the [100] direction is faster than that in the [001] direction, the plane wave velocity anisotropy first increases and then gradually decreases with increasing pressure, and the shear wave velocity anisotropy increases with the increase of pressure, the thermal expansion in the [100] direction is greater than that in the [001] direction. The research results are of great significance to people’s understanding of the high-pressure physical properties of carbonates in the deep mantle.

Sr[C2O5] is an Inorganic Pyrocarbonate Salt with [C2O5]2- Complex Anions

The synthesis of a novel type of carbonate, namely of the inorganic pyrocarbonate salt Sr[C₂O₅], which contains isolated [C₂O₅]^2--groups, significantly extends the crystal chemistry of inorganic carbonates beyond the established sp²- and sp³-carbonates. We synthesized Sr[C₂O₅] in a laser-heated diamond anvil cell by reacting Sr[CO₃] with CO₂. By single crystal synchrotron diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we show that it is a pyrocarbonate salt. Sr[C₂O₅] is the first member of a novel family of inorganic carbonates. We predict, based on DFT calculations, that further inorganic pyrocarbonates can be obtained and that these will be relevant to geoscience and may provide a better understanding of reactions converting CO₂ into useful inorganic compounds.

Sr3[CO4]O Antiperovskite with Tetrahedrally Coordinated sp3-Hybridized Carbon and OSr6 Octahedra

We have synthesized the orthocarbonate Sr₃[CO₄]O in a laser-heated diamond anvil cell at 20 and 30 GPa by heating to ≈3000 (300) K. Afterward, we recovered the orthocarbonate with [CO₄]^4- groups at ambient conditions. Single-crystal diffraction shows the presence of [CO₄]^4- groups, i.e., sp³-hybridized carbon tetrahedrally coordinated by covalently bound oxygen atoms. The [CO₄]^4- tetrahedra are located in a cage formed by corner-sharing OSr₆ octahedra, i.e., octahedra with oxygen as a central ion, forming an antiperovskite-type structure. At high pressures, the octahedra are nearly ideal and slightly rotated. The high-pressure phase is tetragonal (I4/mcm). Upon pressure release, there is a phase transition with a symmetry lowering to an orthorhombic phase (Pnma), where the octahedra tilt and deform slightly.

Carbon Dioxide under Earth Mantle Conditions: From a Molecular Liquid through a Reactive Fluid to Polymeric Regimes

In both its gaseous and condensed forms, carbon dioxide has an ever-increasing impact on Earth's chemistry and human life and activities. However, many aspects of its high-pressure phase diagram remain unclear. In this work, we present a complete structural characterization of carbon dioxide fluids under geological conditions using extensive ab initio molecular dynamics simulations throughout a wide pressure and temperature range, corresponding to Earth's lower mantle. We identify and describe four different disordered regimes, including two polymeric forms and two molecular ones, all within the geothermal conditions of the lower mantle. At pressures below 40 GPa, we find that the molecular liquid becomes very reactive above 2000 K: the C-O double bond routinely breaks, resulting in small and transient chains composed of CO₂ units and frequently leading to an exchange of oxygen atoms between molecules. At higher pressures, in addition to the polymeric fluid previously reported at 3000 K, we find a polymeric system with glass-like behavior at lower temperatures, suggesting a complex interplay between kinetics and stability.

Reversal of carbonate-silicate cation exchange in cold slabs in Earth's lower mantle

The stable forms of carbon in Earth's deep interior control storage and fluxes of carbon through the planet over geologic time, impacting the surface climate as well as carrying records of geologic processes in the form of diamond inclusions. However, current estimates of the distribution of carbon in Earth's mantle are uncertain, due in part to limited understanding of the fate of carbonates through subduction, the main mechanism that transports carbon from Earth's surface to its interior. Oxidized carbon carried by subduction has been found to reside in MgCO₃ throughout much of the mantle. Experiments in this study demonstrate that at deep mantle conditions MgCO₃ reacts with silicates to form CaCO₃. In combination with previous work indicating that CaCO₃ is more stable than MgCO₃ under reducing conditions of Earth's lowermost mantle, these observations allow us to predict that the signature of surface carbon reaching Earth's lowermost mantle may include CaCO₃.

The crystal structures of Fe-bearing MgCO3 sp 2- and sp 3-carbonates at 98 GPa from single-crystal X-ray diffraction using synchrotron radiation

The crystal structure of MgCO3-II has long been discussed in the literature where DFT-based model calculations predict a pressure-induced transition of the carbon atom from the sp 2 to the sp 3 type of bonding. We have now determined the crystal structure of iron-bearing MgCO3-II based on single-crystal X-ray diffraction measurements using synchrotron radiation. We laser-heated a synthetic (Mg0.85Fe0.15)CO3 single crystal at 2500 K and 98 GPa and observed the formation of a monoclinic phase with composition (Mg2.53Fe0.47)C3O9 in the space group C2/m that contains tetra-hedrally coordinated carbon, where CO4 4- tetra-hedra are linked by corner-sharing oxygen atoms to form three-membered C3O9 6- ring anions. The crystal structure of (Mg0.85Fe0.15)CO3 (magnesium iron carbonate) at 98 GPa and 300 K is reported here as well. In comparison with previous structure-prediction calculations and powder X-ray diffraction data, our structural data provide reliable information from experiments regarding atomic positions, bond lengths, and bond angles.

Crystalline polymeric carbon dioxide stable at megabar pressures

Carbon dioxide is a widespread simple molecule in the Universe. In spite of its simplicity it has a very complex phase diagram, forming both amorphous and crystalline extended phases above 40 GPa. The stability range and nature of these phases are still debated, especially in view of their possible role within the deep carbon cycle. Here, we report static synchrotron X-ray diffraction and Raman high-pressure experiments in the megabar range providing evidence for the stability of the polymeric phase V at pressure-temperature conditions relevant to the Earth's lowermost mantle. The equation of state has been extended to 120 GPa and, contrary to earlier experimental findings, neither dissociation into diamond and ε-oxygen nor ionization was observed. Severe deviatoric stress and lattice deformation along with preferred orientation are removed on progressive annealing, thus suggesting CO₂-V as the stable structure also above one megabar.

CO2-induced destabilization of pyrite-structured FeO2Hx in the lower mantle

Volatiles, such as carbon and water, modulate the Earth's mantle rheology, partial melting and redox state, thereby playing a crucial role in the Earth's internal dynamics. We experimentally show the transformation of goethite FeOOH in the presence of CO2 into a tetrahedral carbonate phase, Fe4C3O12, at conditions above 107 GPa—2300 K. At temperatures below 2300 K, no interactions are evidenced between goethite and CO2, and instead a pyrite-structured FeO2Hx is formed as recently reported by Hu et al. (2016; 2017) and Nishi et al. (2017). The interpretation is that, above a critical temperature, FeO2Hx reacts with CO2 and H2, yielding Fe4C3O12 and H2O. Our findings provide strong support for the stability of carbon-oxygen-bearing phases at lower-mantle conditions. In both subducting slabs and lower-mantle lithologies, the tetrahedral carbonate Fe4C3O12 would replace the pyrite-structured FeO2Hx through carbonation of these phases. This reaction provides a new mechanism for hydrogen release as H2O within the deep lower mantle. Our study shows that the deep carbon and hydrogen cycles may be more complex than previously thought, as they strongly depend on the control exerted by local mineralogical and chemical environments on the CO2 and H2 thermodynamic activities.