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Crystal structure of vanuralite, Al[(UO2)2(VO4)2](OH)·8.5H2O

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Published/Copyright: June 29, 2017
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Zeitschrift für Kristallographie - Crystalline Materials
From the journal Zeitschrift für Kristallographie - Crystalline Materials Volume 232 Issue 12

Abstract

Vanuralite, Al[(UO2)2(VO4)2](OH)·8.5H2O, is a rare supergene uranyl vanadate that forms during hydration-oxidation weathering of uraninite in oxide zones of U deposits. On the basis of single-crystal X-ray diffraction data it is monoclinic, space group P21/n, with a=10.4637(10), b=8.4700(5), c=20.527(2) Å, β=102.821(9)°, V=1773.9(3) Å3 and Z=4, Dcalc.=3.561 g cm−3. The structure of vanuralite (R=0.058 for 2638 unique observed reflections) contains uranyl vanadate sheets of francevillite topology of the composition [(UO2)2(VO4)2]2−. Sheets are stacked perpendicular to c, and an interstitial complex [6]Al(OH)(H2O)4(H2O)4.5; adjacent structural sheets are linked through an extensive network of hydrogen bonds. Vanuralite is the most complex mineral among uranyl vanadates, with 961 bits/cell. The scarcity of occurrences is probably caused by the less common combination of elements present in the structure, as well as the relatively high complexity of the structure (compared to related minerals), arising namely from the complicated network of H-bonds.

Keywords: complexity; crystal structure; francevillite topology; uranyl vanadate; vanuralite

Acknowledgements

Two anonymous referees and the editor Sergey Antipov, as well, are acknowledged for their constructive comments. This research was financially supported the project No. LO1603 under the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports National sustainability program I of Czech Republic.

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Supplemental Material:

The online version of this article (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/zkri-2017-2054) offers supplementary material, available to authorized users.

Received: 2017-2-22
Accepted: 2017-5-16
Published Online: 2017-6-29
Published in Print: 2017-11-27

©2017 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Graphical Synopsis
  3. Inorganic Crystal Structures
  4. Halogen and chalcogen bonding in dichloromethane solvate of cyclometalated iridium(III) isocyanide complex
  5. Crystal structure of vanuralite, Al[(UO2)2(VO4)2](OH)·8.5H2O
  6. Synthesis, synchrotron diffraction study and twinning in Na2Ca4Mg2Si4O15 – a heteropolyhedral framework compound
  7. Increasing data completeness in synchrotron tts-microdiffraction experiments for δ-recycling phasing of low-symmetry compounds
  8. The crystal structures of carbonyl iron powder – revised using in situ synchrotron XRPD
  9. Historical Note
  10. 100 years in situ diffraction
https://doi.org/10.1515/zkri-2017-2054
Keywords for this article
complexity; crystal structure; francevillite topology; uranyl vanadate; vanuralite

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Graphical Synopsis
  3. Inorganic Crystal Structures
  4. Halogen and chalcogen bonding in dichloromethane solvate of cyclometalated iridium(III) isocyanide complex
  5. Crystal structure of vanuralite, Al[(UO2)2(VO4)2](OH)·8.5H2O
  6. Synthesis, synchrotron diffraction study and twinning in Na2Ca4Mg2Si4O15 – a heteropolyhedral framework compound
  7. Increasing data completeness in synchrotron tts-microdiffraction experiments for δ-recycling phasing of low-symmetry compounds
  8. The crystal structures of carbonyl iron powder – revised using in situ synchrotron XRPD
  9. Historical Note
  10. 100 years in situ diffraction
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