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This work provides a systematic study of the μ-oxo-di-fac-[triaqua-(1,10-phenanthroline-κ2 N,N′)-iron(III)]bis(sulfate), [(OH2)3(phen)FeOFe(phen)(OH2)3] (SO4)2 (phen = phenanthroline). Crystal structure is determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction data and refined to R = 0.039. The crystal structure is monoclinic (Z = 2), space group P21 with unit cell dimensions a = 8.5157(3), b = 17.6434(5), c = 9.9678(3) A, β = 90.133(2)°, V = 1497.62(8) A3. The triaqua(1,10-phenanthroline)iron(III) parts are linked through one oxo-bridge. Both Fe(III) cations show a distorted octahedral coordination. The single-crystal data are complemented by computational chemistry modeling at quantum mechanical level, X-ray powder diffraction at room and high temperature conditions and by thermal analysis. Molecular modeling suggests that the role of the crystallization water molecules is critical to establish the intermolecular interactions for the stability of the crystal structure.

Scientific Reports 6: Article number: 35865; published online: 24 October 2016; updated: 19 January 2017. The Author Contributions statement in this Article is incomplete: F.B., D.M., M.P., L.L., F.d.M. and E.C. acquired and analyzed the data; C.A.B., G.D.R., M.F.B. and M.B. provided critical input to the analyzed data and to the manuscript; R.

Microprobe analysis, single crystal X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and X-ray absorption spectroscopy were applied on Fe-rich osumilite from the volcanic massif of Mt. Arci, Sardinia, Italy. Osumilite belongs to the space group P6/mcc with unit cell parameters a = 10.1550(6), c = 14.306(1) A and chemical formula (K0.729)C (Na0.029)B (Si10.498 Al1.502)T1 (Al2.706 Fe 0.294 2+ )T2 (Mg0.735 Mn0.091 Fe 1.184 2+ )AO30. Structure refinement converged at R = 0.0201. Unit cell parameter a is related to octahedral edge length as well as to Fe2+ content, unlike the c parameter which does not seem to be affected by chemical composition. The determination of the amount of each element on the mineral surface, obtained through X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy high-resolution spectra in the region of the Si2p, Al2p, Mg1s and Fe2p core levels, suggests that Fe presents Fe2+ oxidation state and octahedral coordination. Two peaks at 103.1 and 100.6 eV can be related to Si4+ and Si1+ components, respectively, both in tetrahedral coordination. The binding energy of Al2p, at 74.5 eV, indicates that Al is mostly present in the distorted T2 site, whereas the Mg peak at 1,305.2 eV suggests that this cation is located at the octahedral site. X-ray absorption at the Fe L2,3-edges confirms that iron is present in the mineral structure, prevalently in the divalent state and at the A octahedral site.

The structure of dioctahedral true micas such as muscovite and celadonitic muscovite (2M1 polytype, space group C2/c) is mostly affected by variations of the octahedral Al (VIAl) content. Crystals with greater Mg, Fe substitutions (i.e. celadonitic muscovite) reduce the dimensional difference between the larger trans-oriented M1 site and smaller cis-oriented M2 octahedral site. The octahedral anionic position O4 is displaced from the center of the hexagon, defined by 031 and 032 oxygen atoms (i.e. ‘octahedral hexagon’), both on and off the (001) plane. The distance between interlayer cation A and O4 is smaller in more substituted species, thus providing different orientations of the O4−H vector, as a function of VIAl. Octahedral distances ( and are expressed as a function of cell parameters and VIA1 content, thus allowing an approximate estimate of site dimensions. These approximations are useful when a detailed structural refinement is not available. In celadonitic muscovite, the octahedral hexagon mean edge ( Hex) is not significantly affected by VIA1 content. The VIA1 increase produces both a decrease in cell lateral dimensions and a distorted ‘octahedral hexagon’. The decrease in a and b is consistent with a decrease of Hex, whereas the distortion of the’ octahedral hexagon’ is consistent with an increase of ( Hex), because an irregular hexagon produces a longer mean edge than a regular hexagon of equal area. The tetrahedral mean basal edge (VI bassal) is reduced as celadonitic substitution progresses. The tetrahedral rotation angle, α was thus found to increase from celadonite to muscovite. However, in muscovite with VIAl content between 1.8 and 2.0 atoms per formula unit (a.p.f.u.), α approaches a saturation value, thus showing a proportional increase of tetrahedral and octahedral sheet lateral dimensions. Furthermore, α variation allows a coarse approximation of the threshold VIAl content, below which celadonitic substitution may not progress.