Ordering of calcium and vacancies in calcium catapleiite CaZr[Si3O9] • 2H2O

Abstract

A sample of holotypic calcium catapleiite from the Burpala alkaline massif (Northern Baikal, Russia) is studied by single crystal X-ray analysis at 120 K and IR spectroscopy. The empirical formula of calcium catapleiite is Ca_0.97Na_0.02Zr_1.01Si₃O₉ • 2H₂O (Z = 4). The X-ray diffraction study confirms the orthorhombic unit cell with the following parameters: a = 7.406(1), b = 12.687(1), and c = 10.112(1) Å; V = 950.1(2) ų; space group Pbnn. The crystal structure is refined in the anisotropic approximation of atomic displacement parameters using 1177 reflections with I > 2σ(I) to the final R = 2.91%. The structure of calcium catapleiite under study is based on the microporous heteropolyhedral framework formed by ZrO₆ octahedra and threemembered silicon–oxygen rings [Si₃O₉]. It is on the whole analogous to the structures of the samples studied earlier, but differs from them by a high degree of ordering of calcium and vacancies at extraframework positions. The distribution of calcium over Ca1 and Ca2 positions in the calcium catapleiite structure leads to the formation of zigzag chains of the …Сa1–Zr–Ca1–Zr… and …Сa2–h–Ca2–□… types. Low occupancy of the Ca2 position and its alternation with the vacancy are prerequisites for potential Ca²⁺ cationic conduction.