BaCO3: high-temperature crystal structures and the Pmcn→R3m phase transition at 811°C

The temperature (T) evolution of the barium carbonate (BaCO3) structure was studied using Rietveld structure refinements based on synchrotron X-ray diffraction and a powdered synthetic sample. BaCO3 transforms from an orthorhombic, Pmcn, α phase to a trigonal, R3m, β phase at 811°C. The orthorhombic BaCO3 structure is isotypic with aragonite, CaCO3. In trigonal R3m BaCO3, the CO3 group occupies one orientation and shows no rotational disorder. The average <Ba–O> distances increase while the <C–O> distances decrease linearly with T in the orthorhombic phase. After the 811°C phase transition, the <Ba–O> distances increase while C–O distances decrease. There is also a significant volume change of 2.8% at the phase transition.