BixbyiteStruktur

BixbyiteStruktur refers to the crystal structure of the mineral bixbyite, which is an oxide of manganese. Its chemical formula is (Mn,Fe)2O3, indicating that iron can substitute for manganese in the crystal lattice. Bixbyite crystallizes in the cubic system, belonging to the space group Ia-3. The structure is characterized by a body-centered cubic unit cell containing 16 formula units. It can be described as a distorted fluorite structure.

The arrangement of oxygen atoms in bixbyiteStruktur is approximately cubic close-packed, with the metal cations (manganese and iron) occupying specific interstitial sites. Each metal cation is octahedrally coordinated by six oxygen atoms. These metal-oxygen octahedra are linked together to form a three-dimensional network. The structure exhibits a degree of disorder, with vacancies present on some of the cation sites, which is characteristic of many sesquioxides. The precise arrangement and ordering of cations and vacancies contribute to the specific physical and chemical properties of bixbyite. This structural motif is also found in other minerals, such as polymorphs of iron(III) oxide. Understanding bixbyiteStruktur is important for mineralogy, materials science, and geochemistry, particularly in studies related to oxide minerals and their formation conditions.