Original paper

Modular aspects of the crystal structures of kurchatovite and clinokurchatovite

Callegari, Athos; Mazzi, Fiorenzo; Tadini, Carla

Abstract

The crystal structures of the two polytypes of the compound CaMgB2O5, kurchatovite and clinokurchatovite, were determined in the space groups Pc21b and P21/c respectively by Yakubovich et al. (1976) and Simonov et al. (1980). The crystal structures of both minerals have been re-examined and refined until Robs = 3.00 and 2.82 %. The lattice parameters are for kurchatovite a = 36.34, b = 11.135, c = 5.499Å, Z = 24,space group Pbca,andfor clinokurchatovite a = 12.329, b = 11.146, c = 5.519 Å, ß = 101.62°, Z = 8, space group P21/c. Common features of both structures are the B2O5 clusters formed by two B-triangles with a common vertex, the Mg-octahedra and Ca-polyhedra with seven corners. The two crystal structures show very close similiarities, both being based on the repeat of a monoclinic module, whose volume is one fourth of that of the unit cell of clinokurchatovite (a0 = a/4). The possibility of further structures based on the same module is discussed.

Keywords

clinokurchatovitekurchatoviteboratescrystal structure refinementmodular description