Valence determination of rare earth elements in lanthanide silicates by L 3-XANES spectroscopy

Lanthanide silicates have been hydrothermally synthesized using Cu and Ni containers. Chemical formulae of the synthesized compounds correspond to K3Eu[Si6O15] 2H2O, HK6Eu[Si10O25], K7Sm3[Si12O32], K2Sm[AlSi4O12] 0.375H2O, K4Yb2[Si8O21], K4Ce2[Al2Si8O24]. The oxidation state of lanthanides (Eu, Ce, Tb, Sm, Yb) in these silicates has been determined using XANES spectroscopy at the Eu, Ce, Tb, Sm, Yb, L 3- edges. The experimental XANES spectra were recorded using the synchrotron radiation source ANKA (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) and the X-ray laboratory spectrometer Rigaku R- XAS. By comparing the absorption edge energies and white line intensities of the silicates with the ones of reference spectra the oxidation state of lanthanides Eu, Ce, Tb, Sm, Yb has been found to be equal to +3 in all investigated silicates except of the Ce-containing silicate from the run in Cu container where the cerium oxidation state ranges from +3 (Ce in silicate apatite and in a KCe silicate with Si12O32 layers) to +4 (starting CeO2 or oxidized Ce2O3).