Synchrotron single-crystal XRD, IR-, Raman spectroscopy and high pressure study of synthetic krieselite.

Spontaneous crystals of krieselite (Ge analogue of topaz) with the chemical formula Al2[(Ge0.75Si0.25)O4](F1.63OH0.37) were synthesized using a thermo-gradient hydrothermal method at a temperature of 600/650 °C and pressure of 100 MPa. The unit cell parameters are: a = 8.9732(8) Å, b = 8.4823(7) Å, c = 4.7379(5) Å, V = 360.62(6) Å3, space group Pnma. The F-/OH- content of the samples was refined by FTIR spectroscopy method. Raman spectroscopy showed the main differences between the spectra of krieselite and topaz at the ambient conditions. The assignment of observed and calculated Ag bands (cm-1) for non-polarized Raman spectra was carried out. Using in situ Raman spectroscopy at high pressures, the dependence of the shift in the position of the main bands of the krieselite Raman spectrum on the pressure was established, and the corresponding paths of pressure induced distortion of crystal structure was assumed. According to the data of Raman spectroscopy, it was revealed that krieselite does not undergo the phase transitions up to 30 GPa. The probable way of crystal structure distortion within the space group Pnma was proposed based on simulation of high-pressure Raman spectra.

Synthetic brunogeierite Fe2GeO4: XRD, Mössbauer and Raman high-pressure study.

We present complex spectroscopic data of the synthetic brunogeierite (Fe2+)2Ge4+O4 with space group Fd3¯m of spinel structure: a = 8.3783 (6) Å, V = 588.12 (13) Å3. Brunogeierite crystals up to 200 µm in size were crystallized by the interaction of a boric acid solution on a metal iron wire in the presence of germanium oxide (GeO2) at 600/650 °C and 100 MPa. Mössbauer spectrum of synthetic brunogeierite consists of the symmetric doublet with the parameters IS = 1.104(1) mm/s and QS = 2.845(1) mm/s, that corresponds to the octahedral position of iron ions ([VI]Fe2+). The Raman spectra of Fe2GeO4 crystal consist of an intense main band at 756 cm-1 and four less intense bands at ∼644, 472, 302, and ∼205 cm-1 at ambient conditions. All five bands inherent in the spectrum of cubic spinel are present and gradual change in high pressure spectra up to 30 GPa. The color of the crystal changes from brown-orange to reddish at the center at 22.7 GPa and became opaque black up to 30.2 GPa. Herewith, in the high pressure spectra, we observed the splitting of some bands and the appearance of additional bands in a wide pressure range (from 1.6 to 30 GPa). The factor group analysis with the lattice dynamics calculation of potential crystal structure distortions shows the decreasing of the structure symmetry to tetragonal or rhombohedral in this pressure range.