An Infrared and Raman Spectroscopic Study of Natural Zinc Phosphates

Near infrared spectroscopy has been applied to a suite of hydrated hydroxylated phosphate minerals including cacoxenite, hureaulite, planerite, gormanite and wardite. The NIR spectra may be conveniently divided into three regions (a) the first hydroxyl fundamental (b) the water HOH overtone and (c) the region between 4000 and 4800 cm-1 where combination bands resulting from the bands in the mid-IR. For each of these regions, the minerals show distinctive spectra which enable their identification and characterisation. NIR spectroscopy is a less used technique which does have great application for the study of minerals, particularly minerals which have hydrogen in the structure either as hydroxyl units or as water bonded to the cation or as zeolitic water as is the case for cacoxenite. The study of minerals on planets is topical and NIR spectroscopy provides a rapid technique for the distinction and identification of minerals.