Vitreous forsterite (Mg2SiO4): Synthesis, structure, and thermochemistry

Jean A. Tangeman, Brian L. Phillips, Alexandra Navrotsky, J. K.Richard Weber, April D. Hixson, Thomas S. Key

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

96 Scopus citations

Abstract

Here we report the first synthesis of a forsterite (Mg2SiO4) composition glass as an essentially phase-pure bulk material. Under containerless conditions, with heterogeneous nucleation sites minimized, glass forms by cooling ca. 1 mm liquid Mg2SiO4 droplets in oxygen at 700 K/s. 29Si NMR spectroscopic data indicate that the SiO4 tetrahedra and MgO6 octahedra exist in a corner sharing arrangement in the glass, but upon crystallization the polyhedral units reorganize to form edge-sharing linkages. Transposed temperature drop calorimetry shows that the glass is 61.4 ± 1.3 kJ/mol higher in enthalpy than the crystal.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)2517-2520
Number of pages4
JournalGeophysical Research Letters
Volume28
Issue number13
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 1 2001
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Geophysics
  • General Earth and Planetary Sciences

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