Uranium minerals rutherfordine

The aquatic transport of uranium as carbonate complexes is reflected in the formation of the uranyl carbonate minerals Rutherfordine, U02(C03), Leibigite, Ca2[U02(C03)3]-10-llH20, and Andersonite, Na2Ca[U02(C03)3]-6H20. Both natural and synthetic UO2CO3 have similar structures which contain sheets of planar ions. The uranyl groups have the normal trans... 

The known uranium(VI) carbonate soHds have empirical formulas, 1102(003), M2U02(C03)2, and M4U02(C03)3. The soHd of composition 1102(003) is a well-known mineral, mtherfordine, and its stmcture has been determined from crystals of both the natural mineral and synthetic samples. Rutherfordine is a layered soHd in which the local coordination environment of the uranyl ion consists of a hexagonal bipyramidal arrangement of oxygen atoms with the uranyl units perpendicular to the orthorhombic plane. Each uranium atom forms six equatorial bonds with the oxygen atoms of four carbonate ligands, two in a bidentate manner and two in a monodentate manner. 

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