Synthèse et structure cristalline d'un nouvel oxyde mixte FeV2O6H0.5 relation avec la structure type diaspore

Single crystals of a new compound, FeV₂O₆H_0.5, have been obtained by hydrothermal synthesis at 650°C and 2 kbar. An electron microprobe analysis indicated that the chemical formula is FeV₂O₆. This compound has an orthorhombic symmetry, space group P2₁2₁2₁ with Z = 4. The unit cell dimensions are

$\text{a = 4.891}\text{A}\text{?}\text{, b = 9.553}\text{A}\text{?}\text{, c = 8.786}\text{A}\text{?}$

These parameters are related to a′, b′, c′ of the diaspore-type VO₂ by the relations: $\text{a ? a′, b ? b′, c ? 3c′}$. The structure, based on single crystal data, has been determined from Patterson and Fourier syntheses. A structural refinement gave a final R-factor of 2.4%. The new structure can be deduced from that of the diaspore-type VO₂, by displacement of one third of the cations from an octahedral site to an adjacent unoccupied tetrahedral site, which is located in a channel parallel to the c axis. The calculation of the cation and oxygen valences indicated that some O^2? were in fact OH^?. This conjecture was supported by thermogravimetric analysis. The chemical formula was indeed Fe³⁺₂V³⁺V⁴⁺V⁵⁺₂O₁₁(OH). Some intensities of the powder diffraction lines changed strongly when the preparation temperature was reduced from 650°C to 300°C. This was explained by an increase of the hydrogen ratio in the formula FeV₂O₆H_x, which implies a structural change. The different phases FeV₂O₆H_x can be considered as solid solutions between two extreme phases with different structure: one with the present one and the other with a diaspore-type structure.