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Bêhounekite, U(SO4)2(H2O)4, from Jáchymov (St Joachimsthal), Czech Republic: the first natural U4+ sulphate

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 July 2018

J. Plášil ,
K. Fejfarová ,
M. Novák ,
M. Dušek ,
R. Škoda ,
J. Hloušek ,
J. Čejka ,
J. Majzlan ,
J. Sejkora  and
V. Machovic
...Show all authors
J. Plášil*
Affiliation:
Mineralogical Crystallography, Institute of Geological Sciences, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, CH-3012, Bern, Switzerland Department of Geological Sciences, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, Brno, 611 37, Czech Republic
K. Fejfarová
Affiliation:
Institute of Physics ASCR, v.v.i., Na Slovance 2, Praha 8, 182 21, Czech Republic
M. Novák
Affiliation:
Department of Geological Sciences, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, Brno, 611 37, Czech Republic
M. Dušek
Affiliation:
Institute of Physics ASCR, v.v.i., Na Slovance 2, Praha 8, 182 21, Czech Republic
R. Škoda
Affiliation:
Department of Geological Sciences, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, Brno, 611 37, Czech Republic
J. Hloušek
Affiliation:
U Roháčových kasáren 24, Praha 10, 100 00, Czech Republic
J. Čejka
Affiliation:
Department of Mineralogy and Petrology, National Museum, Václavské námêstí 68, Praha 1, 115 79, Czech Republic
J. Majzlan
Affiliation:
Institute of Geosciences, Friedrich-Schiller University, Burgweg 11, D-07749 Jena, Germany
J. Sejkora
Affiliation:
Department of Mineralogy and Petrology, National Museum, Václavské námêstí 68, Praha 1, 115 79, Czech Republic
V. Machovic
Affiliation:
Institute of Chemical Technology, Prague, Technická 5, Praha 6, 166 28, Czech Republic Institute of Rock Structures and Mechanics, Academy of Science of Czech Republic, V Holešovičkách 41, 182 09 Praha 8, Czech Republic
D. Talla
Affiliation:
Department of Geological Sciences, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, Brno, 611 37, Czech Republic Institute of Mineralogy and Crystallography, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, A-1090 Wien, Austria
*
*E-mail: jakub.plasil@krist.unibe.ch
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Abstract

Bêhounekite, orthorhombic U(SO4)2(H2O)4, is the first natural sulphate of U4+. It was found in the Geschieber vein, Jáchymov (St Joachimsthal) ore district, Western Bohemia, Czech Republic, crystallized on the altered surface of arsenic and associated with kaatialaite, arsenolite, claudetite, unnamed phase UM1997-20-AsO:HU and gypsum. Bêhounekite most commonly forms short-prismatic to tabular green crystals, rarely up to 0.5 mm long. The crystals have a strong vitreous lustre and a grey to greenish grey streak. They are brittle with an uneven fracture and have very good cleavage along ﹛100﹜. The Mohs hardness is about 2. The mineral is not fluorescent either in short- or long-wavelength UV radiation. Bêhounekite is moderately pleochroic, α∼β is pale emerald green and γ is emerald green, and is optically biaxial (+) with α = 1.590(2), β = 1.618(4), γ = 1.659(2) (590 nm), 2V (calc.) = 81°, birefringence 0.069. The empirical formula of bêhounekite (based on 12 O atoms, from an average of five point analyses) is (U0.99Y0.03)Σ1.02(SO4)1.97(H2O)4. The simplified formula is U(SO4)2(H2O)4, which requires UO2 53.77. SO3 31.88, H2O 14.35, total 100.00 wt.%. Bêhounekite is orthorhombic, space group Pnma, a = 14.6464(3), b = 11.0786(3), c = 5.6910(14) Å, V = 923.43(4) Å3, Z = 4, Dcalc = 3.62 g cm–3. The seven strongest diffraction peaks in the X-ray powder diffraction pattern are [dobs in Å (I) (hid)]: 7.330 (100) (200), 6.112 (54) (210), 5.538 (21) (020), 4.787 (42) (111), 3.663 (17) (400), 3.478 (20) (410), 3.080 (41) (321). The crystal structure of bêhounekite has been solved by the charge-flipping method from single-crystal X-ray diffraction data and refined to R1 = 2.10 % with a GOF = 1.51, based on 912 unique observed diffractions. The crystal structure consists of layers built up from [8]-coordinate uranium atoms and sulphate tetrahedra. The eight ligands include four oxygen atoms from the sulphate groups and four oxygen atoms from the H2O molecules. Each uranium coordination polyhedron is connected via sulphate tetrahedra with other uranium polyhedra and through hydrogen bonds to the apices of sulphate tetrahedra. The dominant features of the Raman and infrared spectra of bêhounekite are related to stretching vibrations of SO4 tetrahedra (∼1200–950 cm–1), O-H stretching modes (∼3400–3000 cm–1) and H—O—H bending modes (∼1650 cm–1). The mineral is named in honour of František Bêhounek, a well known Czech nuclear physicist.

Keywords

bêhounekitenew mineraluranium sulphate tetrahydratecrystal structurechemical compositionJáchymov
Type
Research Article
Information
Mineralogical Magazine , Volume 75 , Issue 6 , December 2011 , pp. 2739 - 2753
Copyright
Copyright © The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland 2011

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