| Summary: | The crystal structure of quintinite, Mg4Al2(OH)12(CO3)·3H2O, from the Jacupiranga alkaline complex (Cajati, São Paulo, Brazil), was refined for two samples (91002 and C7029) using single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. The mineral crystallizes in the P-3c1 space group, a = 5.246/5.298, c = 15.110/15.199 Å for samples 91002/C7029. The crystal structure consists of octahedral sheets with Mg and Al ordering according to a 3 × 3 superstructure. The Mg and Al atoms are coordinated by six hydroxylated oxygen atoms; the average <Mg–O> and bond distances are in the ranges 2.022–2.053 Å and 1.974–1.978 Å, respectively. The interlayer structures are identical (in contradiction to the previous assumptions), and consist of disordered (CO3)2− groups and (H2O)0 molecules. The samples from Jacupiranga can be identified as quintinite-2T, which is the second finding of this polytype after the Kovdor alkaline complex (Kola peninsula, Russia). The powder X-ray diffraction pattern of quintinite-2T contains weak superstructure reflection at 4.57 Å (010), indicative of Mg and Al ordering. An important crystal-chemical criterion of quintinite is the interlayer distance (d00n-value) of ~7.56 Å, which is steady among natural specimens from various findings worldwide.
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