Spinel group

The spinels are any of a class of minerals of general formulation AB2X4 which crystallise in the cubic (isometric) crystal system, with the X anions (typically chalcogens, like oxygen and sulfur) arranged in a cubic close-packed lattice and the cations A and B occupying some or all of the octahedral and tetrahedral sites in the lattice.

[1][2] Although the charges of A and B in the prototypical spinel structure are +2 and +3, respectively (A2+B3+2X2−4), other combinations incorporating divalent, trivalent, or tetravalent cations, including magnesium, zinc, iron, manganese, aluminium, chromium, titanium, and silicon, are also possible.

A and B can also be the same metal with different valences, as is the case with magnetite, Fe3O4 (as Fe2+Fe3+2O2−4), which is the most abundant member of the spinel group.

However, ferric and aluminium based spinels are almost entirely homogeneous due to their large size difference.

In addition, intermediate cases exist where the cation distribution can be described as (A1−xBx)[Ax⁄2B1−x⁄2]2O4, where parentheses () and brackets [] are used to denote tetrahedral and octahedral sites, respectively.

The cation distribution in spinel structures are related to the crystal field stabilization energies (CFSE) of the constituent transition metals.

The presence of spinels may hereby serve as thin (few micrometer thick) functional layers, that prevent the diffusion of oxygen (or other atmospheric) ions or specific metal ions such as chromium, which otherwise exhibits a fast diffusion process at high temperatures.