Hydrothermal Synthesis, Single-Crystal Structure Analysis, and Solid-State NMR Characterization of Zn2(OH)0.14(3)F0.86(3)(PO4)

The zinc fluoro phosphate Zn₂F(PO₄) has been produced by hydrothermal synthesis employing hydrofluoric acid as a mineralizer in a H₂O or D₂O medium. A single-crystal X-ray synchrotron diffraction analysis of Zn₂F(PO₄) shows that the zinc fluoro phosphate is monoclinic, a=9.690(1), b=12.793(1), and c=11.972(1) Å, β=108.265(1)°, space group P2₁/c, No. 14, Z=16. Reflections hkl with k=2n+1 are weak but significant and the structure shows pseudosymmetry. Zn₂F(PO₄) has the wagnerite-type M₂F(XO₄) structure with four Zn atoms each coordinated to four O atoms and one F atom while four other Zn atoms are coordinated to four O atoms and two F atoms. A difference Fourier map, calculated from the single-crystal X-ray data, shows additional electron density close to the four fluorine atoms, indicating a possible partial substitution of F⁻ by OH⁻ ions. This is unambiguously confirmed by ³¹P-{¹H} cross-polarization magic-angle spinning (MAS) and by ¹H/²H MAS NMR spectroscopy. The narrow line width observed for the ¹H resonance and the unique set of ²H quadrupole coupling parameters (obtained for the Zn₂F(PO₄) sample using D₂O as medium) show that ¹H/²H is present as OH(D) groups rather than as water of crystallization in the structure. Quantitative ¹H MAS NMR analysis shows that the composition of the sample is Zn₂(OH)_0.14(3)F_0.86(3)(PO₄). The high-speed ¹⁹F MAS NMR spectrum exhibits two resolved resonances with equal intensity, which are ascribed to an overlap of resonances from the four distinct fluorine sites in Zn₂(OH)_0.14(3)F_0.86(3)(PO₄).