Materials Data on Mg2SiO4 by Materials Project

Abstract

Mg2SiO4 crystallizes in the orthorhombic Pbam space group. The structure is three-dimensional. Mg2+ is bonded in a 7-coordinate geometry to seven O2- atoms. There are a spread of Mg–O bond distances ranging from 2.07–2.50 Å. Si4+ is bonded to six O2- atoms to form edge-sharing SiO6 octahedra. There is two shorter (1.77 Å) and four longer (1.87 Å) Si–O bond length. There are two inequivalent O2- sites. In the first O2- site, O2- is bonded in a 5-coordinate geometry to three equivalent Mg2+ and two equivalent Si4+ atoms. In the second O2- site, O2- is bonded in a 5-coordinate geometry to four equivalent Mg2+ and one Si4+ atom.