CO2 Density-Raman Shift Relation Derived from Synthetic Inclusions in Fused Silica Capillaries and Its Application

The densities of CO2 inclusions in minerals are commonly used to determine the crystallizing conditions of the host minerals. However, conventional microthermometry is difficult to apply for inclusions of small size (< 5-10 mu m) or low density. Raman analysis is an alternative method for determining CO2 density, provided that the CO2 density-Raman shift relation is known. This study aims to establish this CO2 density-Raman shift relation by using CO2 inclusions synthesized in fused silica capillaries. By using this newly-developed synthetic technique, we formed pure CO2 inclusions, and their densities were determined by microthermometry. The Raman analysis showed that the relation between CO2 density (D in g/cm3) and the separations ( in cm-1) between the two main bands (i.e. Fermi diad bands) in CO2 Raman spectra can be represented by a cubic equation: D (g/cm3)=0.74203(-0.0193+5.903322-610.79472+21050.30165)-3.54278 (r2=0.99920). Our calculated D value for a given is between those obtained from two previously-reported equations, which were derived from different experimental methods. An example was given in this study to demonstrate that the densities of natural CO2 inclusions that could not be derived from microthermometry could be determined by using our method.