The crystal structure of CaSiO3-walstromite, a special isomorph of wollastonite-II

Crystal Structure Evolution of CaSiO3 Polymorphs at Earth’s Mantle Pressures

CaSiO3 polymorphs are abundant in only unique geological settings on the Earth’s surface and are the major Ca-bearing phases at deep mantle condition. An accurate and comprehensive study of their density and structural evolution with pressure and temperature is still lacking. Therefore, in this study we report the elastic behavior and structural evolution of wollastonite and CaSiO3-walstromite with pressure. Both minerals are characterized by first order phase transitions to denser structures. The deformations that lead to these transformations allow a volume increase ofthe bigger polyhedra, which might ease cation substitution in the structural sites of these phases. Furthermore, their geometrical features are clear analogies with those predicted and observed for tetrahedrally-structured ultra-high-pressure carbonates, which are unfortunately unquenchable. Indeed, wollastonite and CaSiO3-walstromite have a close resemblance to ultra-high-pressure chain- and ring-carbonates. This suggests a rich polymorphism also for tetrahedral carbonates, which might increase the compositional range of these phases, including continuous solid solutions involving cations with different size (Ca vs. Mg in particular) and important minor or trace elements incorporation.

Synthesis and structural characterization of BaSr2Ge3O9

BaSr2Ge3O9 was prepared by high-temperature solid-state synthesis at 1100°C in a platinum crucible from barium carbonate, strontium carbonate, and germanium(IV) oxide. The compound crystallizes in the triclinic space group P1̅ (no. 2) isotypically to walstromite BaCa2Si3O9. The structure was refined from single-crystal X-ray diffraction data: a=7.104(5), b=10.060(7), c=7.099(5) Å, α=83.0(2), β=77.0(2), γ=70.2(2)°, V=464.3(6) Å3, R1=0.0230, and wR2=0.0602 for all data. BaSr2Ge3O9 is characterized by three-membered rings of germanate tetrahedra. There are three crystallographically different Ge sites (Ge1, Ge2, and Ge3) in each [Ge3O9]6− ring. The rings occur in layers with the apices of alternating rings pointing in opposite directions. The Sr2+ and Ba2+ ions are located in between. The Sr1 cation is eight-fold coordinated, while Sr2 is octahedrally surrounded by oxide anions, and the Ba cation again eight-fold coordinated.