X-ray single-crystal structural characterization of Na2MgSiO4 with cristobalite-type structure synthesised at 22 GPa and 1800 degrees C

Na2MgSiO4 is a mineralogical phase known in the literature as N2MS and reported in several high-pressure experiments (13.6 < P < 22 GPa) to coexist with wadsleyite, garnet and pyroxene. Although the crystal structure of room-PTNa2 Mg2SiO4 is known, a structural study of the phase recovered in high-pressure experiments has not been done yet. Here we present a chemical and structural study of a crystal of Na2MgSiO4 synthesised in the model system Na2MgSiO4-Mg2SiO4 at 22 GPa and 1800 degrees C. The compound was found to crystallize with the orthorhombic cristobalite-type structure previously described at room conditions, space group Pna2(1), with lattice parameters a = 10.8193(8), b = 5.2702(3), c = 7.0598(4) angstrom, V = 402.55(4)angstrom(3), and Z = 4. The structure was refined to R-1 = 0.0184 using 644 observed reflections [F-o > 4 sigma(F-o)] and 73 parameters. The unit-cell of the phase studied here is nearly identical to that of Na2MgSiO4 synthesised at room conditions, thus indicating that it likely relaxed during the pressure release occurring during quenching.