Raman spectroscopy of AMn2O4 (A=Mn, Mg and Zn) spinels

First order Raman spectra in the region 200 800 cm(-1) have been collected for AMn(2)O(4) (A = Mn, Mg and Zn) tetragonal spinels. A possible correlation between Raman phonons and AO(4) and MnO6 unit vibrations is proposed. Structural changes have been analyzed following the evolution of the Raman spectra with x for the Mg1-xMnxMn2O4 solid solution; the effect of the spinel inversion has been also studied on MgMn2O4 quenched samples from high temperatures. The results, taking into account also the X-ray diffraction and electron paramagnetic resonance data, show the influence of the Jahn-Teller effect on the Raman scattering for this class of materials.