Unit cell volumes of synthetic orthoenstatite and low clinoenstatite

Summary Cell dimensions and densities derived from least-squares refinement of X-ray powder diffractometer patterns are: orthoenstatite, a 18·2249±0·0013, b 8·8149±0·0008, c 5·1746±0·0008 Å, V 831·30±0·14 Å3, D 3·208 g/cc ; low clinoenstatite, a 9·6065±0·0011, b 8·8146±0·0007, c 5·1688±0·0006 Å, β = 108·335± 0·009, V 415·46±0·09 Å3, D 3·210 gm/cc. Because orthoenstatite transforms reversibly to clinoenstatite at high pressure and low temperature, and because a statistical test shows that orthoenstatite is less dense than clinoenstatite at the 90 % confidence level (in accord with the direction of slope of the experimental transition curve), it is no longer possible to regard low clinoenstatite as a metastable form of MgSiO3.