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Science 3 September 1971:
Vol. 173. no. 4000, pp. 916 - 918
DOI: 10.1126/science.173.4000.916
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Articles

Eight-Membered Cyclosilicate Rings in Muirite

Aijaz A. Khan 1 and Werner H. Baur 1

1 Department of Geological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60680

The determination of the crystal structure of muirite, Ba10(Ca,Mn,Ti)4Si8O24(Cl,OH,O)12 · 4H2O, revealed the presence of discrete cyclic silicate anions, (Si8O24)16-, formed by the condensation of eight silicate tetrahedra. This first reported occurrence of eight-membered rings is of particular interest, because rings with eight tetrahedra are reported to be energetically less stable than rings with six tetrahedra, which have been found in many minerals.

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)