Redetermination of eveite, Mn2AsO4(OH), based on single-crystal X-ray diffraction data

Abstract

The crystal structure of eveite, ideally Mn2(AsO4)(OH) [dimanganese(II) arsenate(V) hydroxide], was refined from a single crystal selected from a co-type sample from Långban, Filipstad, Varmland, Sweden. Eveite, dimorphic with sarkinite, is structurally analogous with the important rock-forming mineral andalusite, Al2OSiO4, and belongs to the libethenite group. Its structure consists of chains of edge-sharing distorted [MnO4(OH)2] octahedra (..2 symmetry) extending parallel to [001]. These chains are cross-linked by isolated AsO4 tetrahedra (..m symmetry) through corner-sharing, forming channels in which dimers of edge-sharing [MnO4(OH)] trigonal bipyramids (..m symmetry) are located. In contrast to the previous refinement from Weissenberg photographic data [Moore & Smyth (1968). Am. Mineral. 53, 1841–1845], all non-H atoms were refined with anisotropic displacement parameters and the H atom was located. The distance of the donor and acceptor O atoms involved in hydrogen bonding is in agreement with Raman spectroscopic data. Examination of the Raman spectra for arsenate minerals in the libethenite group reveals that the position of the peak originating from the O—H stretching vibration shifts to lower wavenumbers from eveite, to adamite, zincolivenite, and olivenite.