Rare earth elements in synthetic zircon: Part 1. Synthesis, and rare earth element and phosphorus doping

Abstract

Zircon crystals were grown from a Li-Mo flux (7.5 mol% Li2MoO4; 86.5 mol% MoO3) to which equal molar proportions ZrO2 and Li2SiO3 were added (3 mol% each). The crystals were initially grown undoped, but later Dy was added to the flux without any other charge-compensating species. With Dy and P added, in equal molar proportions, the zircon crystals incorporated 1.37 mol% (6.99 wt%) Dy and 1.36 mol% (1.33 wt%) P, a factor of 5.3 increase in Dy over the crystals grown without P intentionally added to the flux. The other P+REE-doped zircon crystals displayed an approximately 1000-fold increase in REE and P from La through Lu, a result of decreasing ionic radii. The incorporation of P5+ allowed, in a general sense, the xenotime-type coupled substitution of (REE3+, Y3+) + P5+ = Zr4+ + Si4+. From La to Nd, however, P exceeds REE, from Sm to Gd, the REE are generally equal to P, and from Tb to Lu the REE exceed P. The Y- and P-doped zircon behaved more like middle-REE (MREE)-doped zircon than heavy-REE (HREE)-doped zircon crystals in their ability to incorporate Y (and P) and to maintain charge neutrality. To investigate the incorporation of Dy with no P added to the flux, the P to LREE excess, and the HREE to P excess in the doped zircon, secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) analyses were completed on selected crystals. In the Dydoped crystals, the SIMS analyses revealed minor amounts of P, Li, and Mo in the crystals. These elements contributed to charge balance required by the excess Dy. In REE- and P-doped zircon, the SIMS analyses detected Li and Mo, and the Li and Mo may also provide charge balance for excess REE in the HREE+P-doped crystals.