Published online by Cambridge University Press: 29 February 2012
A natural sodalite from the geological site Alkaline Complex of Floresta Azul, Bahia, Brazil, has been characterized by electron microprobe, infrared spectroscopy, and powder high-resolution X-ray diffraction techniques. The mineral is an aluminosilicate framework, formed by cages called sodalite unity. Although the sample is natural, the chemical analysis reveals that it is indeed the end member sodalite sensu strictu, Na8[Si6Al6O24]Cl2. Infrared spectroscopy shows Si, Al tetrahedral-oxygen stretching nonsymmetric mode, stretching symmetric mode, and bending modes. Indexing of the experimental X-ray diffraction pattern led to cubic space group P-43n, and unit-cell parameters: a=8.8767(7) Å, Dx=2.301 g cm−3, and V=699.46(1) Å3. X-ray diffraction data are reported. Rietveld refinement was also performed, and the confidence factors are Rp=0.079, Rwp=0.118, and χ2=2.19. The structure of the minerals of sodalite group holds four different tetrahedra: AlO4, ClNa4, Na(ClO3), and SiO4, with Al, Cl, Na, and Si located at the center of each tetrahedron.