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Ab initio SCF MO study of H₆SI₂O₇ at simulated high pressure

University of British Columbia

Molecular orbital calculations have been successively applied to mineralogical studies of equilibrium molecular geometry, electronic charge distributions, electronic spectra and bulk modulus calculations. To date, these studies have modelled bonding at atmospheric pressure. With the ever increasing interest in high pressure phases and mantle mineralogy, bonding studies of molecular groups at simulated high pressure can be an invaluable aid to understanding high pressure crystal chemistry, bond energetics and electronic spectra. This investigation tests the feasibility of various models to simulate pressure in ab initio SCF MO calculations on common metal-oxygen polyhedra. Pressure is simulated in the cluster, H₆Si₂O₇, by systematically stepping helium atoms directed^ along the Si-O bridging vectors toward the bridging oxygen. Changes in the Si-0 bond lengths, SiOSi angles and Si-0 force constants are monitored with increasing pressure. For an increase of 60 kbar pressure, the Si-0 bond length and SiOSi angle decrease 0.30% and 4.5%, respectively, which compares well with the 0.30% and 6.6% decrease observed in c-quartz for a similar increment of pressure. The linear correlation of Si-0 bond length and -sec(SiOSi), known to occur at one bar, holds at elevated pressure. In addition, the Si-0 stretching and SiOSi bending force constants show a percentage increase in the ratio 1:6 up to an estimated pressure of 140 kbar.

Text

2010-03-26

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/22596

Geological Sciences

University of British Columbia

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