Hematite substituting cations

Extensive replacement of Fe by transition metal cations and alkaline earth ions has been reported for b-FeOOH (Okamoto, 1968). Muller et al. (1979) found incorporation of up to 0.4 mol moF Ca solid solutions with the formula Fei xKxOi x(OH)i+x could be identified. Jimenez-Mateos et al. (1990) reported that Co and Mn, respectively, could replace up to 0.3 and 0.5 mol mol Fe. The unit cell parameters decreased in both cases with increasing substitution. These Mn- and Co-substituted 5-FeOOHs decomposed at 200 °C to give poorly crystalline, substituted hematites. 

The band positions of Fe oxides are also influenced by the substitution for Fe by other cations in the structure, as indicated partly by their colour. Scheinost et al. (1999) noticed a linear shift in the position of the Ai " Ti transition from 943 to 985 nm and that of the Ai " T2 transition from 653 to 671 nm for 47 synthetic goethites whose Al-substitution (Al/(Al-i-Fe) ranged between 0 and 0.33 mol mol (R = 0.92 for both). Mn "-substituted goethites showed bands arising from Mn " near 454 and 596 nm. The overall reflectivity in the visible range decreased as structural Mn increased from 0 to 0.20 mol mol (Vempati et al., 1995). The same effect has been observed for V "-substituted goethites (Schwertmann Pfab, 1994). The position of the EPT band of Mn "-substituted hematite shifted to 545 nm and that of the Ai " T2 transition to 700 nm (Vempati et al., 1995). The position of the same transition shifted from ca. 600 to 592 nm as the Al-substitution in hematite rose from 0 to 0.125 mol mol (Kosmas et al., 1986). Crystal size and crystal shape also have an effect on diffuse reflectance, as shown for hematite (see Fig. 6.12). As the crystals become smaller, reflectance increases and needles also reflect more than cubes, i. e. the colour becomes more vivid. 

Analogous results were obtained with Co2+ ions in contact with colloidal hematite (a-Fe203) [8,9], and the same effects can be expected with other unhydrolyzed cations that would react with surface =MOH sites, as long as strong bonds are formed by the substitution with protons. 

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