The structure of charoite, (K,Sr,Ba,Mn)(15-16)(Ca,Na)(32)[(Si-70(O,OH)(180))](OH,F)(4.0)center dot nH(2)O, solved by conventional and automated electron diffraction

AbstractCharoite, ideally (K,Sr,Ba,Mn)15–16(Ca,Na)32[(Si70(O,OH)180)](OH,F)4.0·nH2O, a rare mineral from the Murun massif in Yakutiya, Russia, was studied using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, selected-area electron diffraction, X-ray spectroscopy, precession electron diffraction and the newly developed technique of automated electron-diffraction tomography. The structure of charoite (a= 31.96(6) Å,b= 19.64(4) Å,c= 7.09(1) Å, β = 90.0(1)°,V= 4450(24) Å3, space groupP21/m) was solvedab initioby direct methods from 2878 unique observed reflections and refined toR1/wR2= 0.17/0.21. The structure can be visualized as being composed of three different dreier silicate chains: a d…