Revisiting the Raman Spectra of Carbonate Minerals

Abstract

This work presents a new discussion about the vibrational properties of the carbonate ion displayed in several different environments. The microparameters introduced by cation substitution and different crystal lattices in addition to the crystal aggregation are present in the discussion. The work comments on how the Raman modes are affected by these changes by using data obtained with four different laser excitation sources. Raman spectra excited at 1064 nm are reported at 1 cm−1 resolution. New observations and approaches based on the Raman modes highlight the differences observed in the relative intensity and width of the bands. The new data contribute to the understanding of these materials and their spectra, bringing new observations based on the Raman modes. This work presents a new approach highlighting the differences observed in the relative intensity and width of the Raman bands. The results indicate some evidence of the influence of the crystal habit and/or the growth of the mineral itself on the Raman spectrum. In addition, the data show the influence of cation substitution upon Raman bandwidth and the interference of the size of the spot of the laser in the measurement.