Synthesis and high-temperature X-ray diffraction study of thorium orthosilicate

The α-ThSiO4 phase, a synthetic analog of thorite mineral, was prepared by hydrothermal synthesis and converted to β-ThSiO4, a synthetic analog of huttonite mineral. The temperature dependences of the unit cell parameters were studied by high-temperature X-ray diffraction, and the thermal expansion coefficients of the compounds were determined.