17O to 29Si HETCOR NMR can select oxygen sites with and w/o Si neighbors in silicates.
We tested this selectivity on crystalline Ca3SiO5, which contains ‘free’ oxide ions.
In Ca/Mg silicate glasses with 29–33% SiO2, HETCOR NMR reveals such ‘free’ oxide ions.
These ‘free’ oxide ions are largely coordinated by Mg2 +, not a Ca/Mg mixture.