Aluminium K-edge XANES Study of Mica Preiswerkite

We present the Al K-edge XANES spectrum of synthetic mica with mixed fourfold coordinated and sixfold coordinated Al (preiswerkite). Experimental analysis and multiple scattering simulations of XANES spectra demonstrate that octahedral contributions may overlap the tetrahedral ones so that the lower energy structures in mixed coordination compounds may be associated to Al octahedral site. This unexpected behavior can be explained as due to a large local distortion of the Al octahedral site.