Raman spectroscopic study of the antimony containing mineral partzite Cu2Sb2(O,OH)7

Raman spectroscopy of the mineral partzite Cu2Sb2(O,OH)7 complimented with infrared spectroscopy were studied and related to the structure of the mineral. The Raman spectrum shows some considerable complexity with a number of overlapping bands observed at 479, 520, 594, 607 and 620 cm-1 with additional low intensity bands found at 675, 730, 777 and 837 cm-1. Raman bands of partzite in the spectral region 590 to 675 cm-1 are attributable the ν1 symmetric stretching modes. The Raman bands at 479 and 520 cm-1 are assigned to the ν3 antisymmetric stretching modes. Raman bands at 1396 and 1455 cm-1 are attributed to SbOH deformation modes. A complex pattern resulting from the overlapping band of the water and OH units is found. Raman bands are observed at 3266, 3376, 3407, 3563, 3586 and 3622 cm-1. The first three bands are assigned to water stretching vibrations. The three higher wavenumber bands are assigned to the stretching vibrations of the OH units. It is proposed that based upon observation of the Raman spectra that water is involved in the structure of partzite. Thus the formula Cu2Sb2(O,OH)7 may be better written as Cu2Sb2(O,OH)7 •xH2O

A Raman spectroscopic study of the antimony mineral klebelsbergite Sb4O4(OH)2(SO4)

Many minerals based upon antimonite and antimonate anions remain to be studied. Most of the bands occur in the low wavenumber region, making infrared spectroscopy difficult to use. This problem can be overcome by using Raman spectroscopy. Raman spectra of the mineral klebelsbergite Sb4O4(OH)2(SO4) were studied, and related to the structure of the mineral. Raman bands observed at 971 cm-1 and a series of overlapping bands are observed at 1029, 1074, 1089, 1139 and 1142 cm-1 are assigned to the SO42- ν1 symmetric and ν3 antisymmetric stretching modes. Two Raman bands are observed at 662 and 723 cm-1 and assigned to the SbO ν3 antisymmetric and ν1 symmetric stretching modes. The intense Raman bands at 581, 604 and 611 cm-1 are assigned to the ν4 SO42- bending modes. Two overlapping bands at 481 and 489 cm-1 are assigned to the ν2 SO42- bending mode. Low intensity bands at 410, 435 and 446 cm-1 may be attributed to OSbO bending modes. The Raman band at 3435 cm-1 is attributed to the OH stretching vibration of the OH units. Multiple Raman bands for both SO42- and SbO stretching vibrations support the concept of the non-equivalence of these units in the klebelsbergite structure. It is proposed that two sulphate anions are distorted to different extents in the klebelsbergite structure.

Equitable mortgage by deposit of a Certificate of Title

In Theodore v Mistford Pty Ltd [2005] HCA 45, the High Court considered certain principles governing the creation of an equitable mortgage by the deposit of a title deed as first developed by the English courts of equity with respect to old system conveyancing. The decision will be of interest to Queensland practitioners as it concerned the application of these equitable principles to Torrens land regulated by the provisions of the Land Title Act 1994 (Qld) and, in particular, the operation of s 75 of the Land Title Act 1994 (Qld) which provides: (i) An equitable mortgage of a lot may be created by leaving a certificate of title with the mortgagee (ii) Subsection (1) does not affect the ways in which an equitable mortgage may be created.

Removal of toxic arsenic and antimony from groundwater Spiro Tunnel Bulkhead in Park City Utah using colloidal iron hydroxide : comparison with reverse ssmosis

Verification testing of two model technologies in pilot scale to remove arsenic and antimony based on reverse osmosis and chemical coagulation/filtration systems was conducted in Spiro Tunnel Water Filtration Plant located in Park City, Utah, US. The source water was groundwater in abandoned silver mine, naturally contaminated by 60-80 ppb of arsenic and antimony below 10 ppb. This water represents one of the sources of drinking water for Park City and constitutes about 44% of the water supply. The failure to remove antimony efficiently by coagulation/filtration (only 4.4% removal rate) under design conditions is discussed in terms of the chemistry differences between Sb (III, V) and As (III, V). Removal of Sb(V) at pH > 7, using coagulation/filtration technology, requires much higher (50 to 80 times) concentration of iron (III) than As. The stronger adsorption of arsenate over a wider pH range can be explained by the fact that arsenic acid is tri-protic, whereas antimonic acid is monoprotic. This difference in properties of As(V) and Sb(V) makes antimony (V) more difficult to be efficiently removed in low concentrations of iron hydroxide and alkaline pH waters, especially in concentration of Sb < 10 ppb.

Two sides of seeking funding : grants and deposit funds

Before even thinking of approaching charitable trusts for funding, consideration needs to be given to a whole range of issues. As with many endeavours, preparation paves the way for success...

Thorough assessment of DNA preservation from fossil bone and sediments excavated from a late Pleistocene–Holocene cave deposit on Kangaroo Island, South Australia

Fossils and sediments preserved in caves are an excellent source of information for investigating impacts of past environmental changes on biodiversity. Until recently studies have relied on morphology-based palaeontological approaches, but recent advances in molecular analytical methods offer excellent potential for extracting a greater array of biological information from these sites. This study presents a thorough assessment of DNA preservation from late Pleistocene–Holocene vertebrate fossils and sediments from Kelly Hill Cave Kangaroo Island, South Australia. Using a combination of extraction techniques and sequencing technologies, ancient DNA was characterised from over 70 bones and 20 sediment samples from 15 stratigraphic layers ranging in age from >20 ka to ∼6.8 ka. A combination of primers targeting marsupial and placental mammals, reptiles and two universal plant primers were used to reveal genetic biodiversity for comparison with the mainland and with the morphological fossil record for Kelly Hill Cave. We demonstrate that Kelly Hill Cave has excellent long-term DNA preservation, back to at least 20 ka. This contrasts with the majority of Australian cave sites thus far explored for ancient DNA preservation, and highlights the great promise Kangaroo Island caves hold for yielding the hitherto-elusive DNA of extinct Australian Pleistocene species.

Vibrational spectroscopy of the multianion mineral gartrellite from the Anticline Deposit, Ashburton Downs, Western Australia

The multianion mineral gartrellite PbCu(Fe3+,Cu)(AsO4)2(OH,H2O)2 has been studied by a combination of Raman and infrared spectroscopy. The molecular structure of gartrellite is assessed. Gartrellite is one of the tsumcorite mineral group based upon arsenate and/or sulphate anions. Crystal symmetry is either triclinic in the case of an ordered occupation of two cationic sites, triclinic due to ordering of the H bonds in the case of species with two water molecules per formula unit, or monoclinic in the other cases. Characteristic Raman spectra of the mineral gartrellite enable the assignment of the bands to specific vibrational modes. These spectra are related to the structure of gartrellite. The position of the hydroxyl and water stretching vibrations are related to the strength of the hydrogen bond formed between the OH unit and the AsO3/4 anion.

Trace-element modeling of the magmatic evolution of rare-earth-rich carbonatite from the Miaoya deposit, Central China

Carbonatites are known to contain the highest concentrations of rare-earth elements (REE) among all igneous rocks. The REE distribution of carbonatites is commonly believed to be controlled by that of the rock forming Ca minerals (i.e., calcite, dolomite, and ankerite) and apatite because of their high modal content and tolerance for the substitution of Ca by light REE (LREE). Contrary to this conjecture, calcite from the Miaoya carbonatite (China), analyzed in situ by laser-ablation inductively-coupled-plasma mass-spectrometry, is characterized by low REE contents (100–260 ppm) and relatively !at chondrite-normalized REE distribution patterns [average (La/Yb)CN=1.6]. The carbonatite contains abundant REE-rich minerals, including monazite and !uorapatite, both precipitated earlier than the REE-poor calcite, and REE-fluorocarbonates that postdated the calcite. Hydrothermal REE-bearing !uorite and barite veins are not observed at Miaoya. The textural and analytical evidence indicates that the initially high concentrations of REE and P in the carbonatitic magma facilitated early precipitation of REE-rich phosphates. Subsequent crystallization of REE-poor calcite led to enrichment of the residual liquid in REE, particularly LREE. This implies that REE are generally incompatible with respect to calcite and the calcite/melt partition coefficients for heavy REE (HREE) are significantly greater than those for LREE. Precipitation of REE-fluorocarbonates late in the evolutionary history resulted in depletion of the residual liquid in LREE, as manifested by the development of HREE-enriched late-stage calcite [(La/Yb)CN=0.7] in syenites associated with the carbonatite. The observed variations of REE distribution between calcite and whole rocks are interpreted to arise from multistage fractional crystallization (phosphates!calcite!REE-!uorocarbonates) from an initially REE-rich carbonatitic liquid.

A new period of volcanogenic massive sulfide formation in the Yilgarn: A volcanological study of the ca 2.76 Ga Hollandaire VMS deposit, Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia

The Archean Hollandaire volcanogenic massive sulfide deposit is a felsic–siliciclastic VMS deposit located in the Murchison Domain of the Youanmi Terrane, Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia. It is hosted in a succession of turbidites, mudstones and coherent rhyodacite sills and has been metamorphosed to upper greenschist/lower amphibolite facies and includes a pervasive S1 deformational fabric. The coherent rhyodacitic sills are interpreted as syndepositional based on geochemical similarities with well-known VMS-associated felsic rocks and similar foliations to the metasediments. We offer several explanations for the absence of textural evidence (e.g. breccias) for syn-depositional origins: 1) the subaqueous sediments were dehydrated by long-lived magmatism such that no pore-water remained to drive quench fragmentation; 2) pore-space occlusion by burial and/or, 3) alteration overprinting and obscuring of primary breccias at contact margins. Mineralisation occurs by sub-seafloor replacement of original host rocks in two ore bodies, Hollandaire Main (~125 x >500 m and ~8 m thick) and Hollandaire West (~100 x 470 m and ~5 m thick), and occurs in three main textural styles, massive sulfides, which are exclusively hosted in turbidites and mudstones, and stringer and disseminated sulfides, which are also hosted in coherent rhyodacite. Most sulfides have textures consistent with remobilisation and recrystallisation. Hydrothermal metamorphism has altered the hangingwall and footwall to similar degrees, with significant gains in Mg, Mn and K and losses in Na, Ca and Sr. Garnet and staurolite porphyryoblasts also exhibit a footprint around mineralisation, extending up to 30 m both above and below the ore zone. High precision thermal ionisation mass spectrometry of zircons extracted from the coherent rhyodacite yield an age of 2759.5 ± 0.9 Ma, which along with geochemical comparisons, places the succession within the 2760–2735 Ma Greensleeves Formation of the Polelle Group of the Murchison Supergroup. Geochemical and geochronological evidence link the coherent rhyodacite sills to the Peter Well Granodiorite pluton ~2 km to the W, which acted as the heat engine driving hydrothermal circulation during VMS mineralisation. This study highlights the importance of both: detailed physical volcanological studies from which an accurate assessment of timing relationships, particularly the possibility of intrusions dismembering ore horizons, can be made; and identifying synvolcanic plutons and other similar suites, for VMS exploration targets in the Youanmi Terrane and worldwide.

Structural and electronic properties of layered arsenic and antimony arsenide

Layered materials exhibit intriguing electronic characteristics and the search for new types of two-dimensional (2D) structures is of importance for future device fabrication. Using state-of-art first principle calculations, we identify and characterize the structural and electronic properties of two 2D layered arsenic materials, namely, arsenic and its alloy AsSb. The stable 2D structural configuration of arsenic is confirmed to be the low-buckled two-dimensional hexagonal structure by phonon and binding energy calculations. The monolayer exhibits indirect semiconducting properties with gap around 1.5 eV (corrected to 2.2 eV by hybrid function), which can be modulated into a direct semiconductor within a small amount of tensile strain. These semiconducting properties are preserved when cutting into 1D nanoribbons, but the band gap is edge dependent. It is interesting to find that an indirect to direct gap transition can be achieved under strain modulation of the armchair ribbon. Essentially the same phenomena can be found in layered AsSb, except a weak Rashba induced band splitting is present in AsSb due to the nonsymmetric structure and spin orbit coupling. When an additional layer is added on the top, a semiconductor–metal transition will occur. The findings here broaden the family of 2D materials beyond graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides and provide useful information for experimental fabrication of new layered materials with possible application in optoelectronics.

Who gets the deposit when trustees for a bankrupt buyer disclaim a real estate contract?

The decision of Henry J in Majet v Goggin and Miller (as joint and several trustees of bankrupt estate of Brett-Hall) [2015] QSC 38 dealt with the fate of a deposit that was paid under a real estate contract that did not complete in unusual circumstances.