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Thermal stability and vibrational spectra of the sheet borate tuzlaite, NaCa(B5O8(OH)2)x3H2O

Tuzlaite, a hydrated pentaborate from the Tuzla evaporite deposit in Bosnia and Hercegovina as analysed for water content and loss upon heating using thermal analysis methods and vibrational spectroscopy. The resulting phases were identified by x-ray diffraction. The heating of tuzlaite results in a gradual loss of water over several dehydration steps. Two coordinated H2O molecules escape at a temperature of 191°C. Between 248°C and 298°C two hydroxyl groups are eliminated, with an associated structural transformation. A continuous escape of the third water molecule occurs above 300°C. A phase relationship model for different hydrated borate minerals implies the possible formation pathway of tuzlaite by sequential polymerization of the borate polyanion.

tuzlaite; borate; IR and Raman spectai; thermal analyses

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