Raman spectroscopic study of the uranyl carbonate mineral voglite

Raman spectroscopy, complemented with infrared spectroscopy, was used to study the uranyl carbonate mineral voglite. The mineral has the formula Ca 2 Cu 2+ [(UO 2 )(CO 3 ) 3 ](CO 3 ) • 6H 2 O, and bands attributed to these vibrating units are readily identified in the Raman spectrum. Symmetric stretching modes at 836 and 1094 cm −1 are assigned to ν 1 (UO 2 ) 2+ and ν 1 (CO 3 ) 2− units, respectively. The ν 3 antisymmetric stretching modes of (UO 2 ) 2+ are not observed in the Raman spectrum but may be readily observed in the infrared spectrum at 898 cm −1 . The ν 3 antisymmetric stretching mode of (CO 3 ) 2− is observed in the Raman spectrum at 1369 cm −1 as a low intensity band as is also the ν 3 (CO 3 ) 2− infrared modes at 1362, 1425, 1509 and 1566 cm −1 . No ν 2 (CO 3 ) 2− Raman bending modes are observed for voglite. The Raman band at 749 cm −1 and the two infrared bands at 747 and 709 cm −1 are assigned to the ν 4 (CO 3 ) 2− bending modes. UO bond and OH…O bond lengths in the structure of voglite were inferred from the infrared and Raman spectra. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.