Hydrothermal synthesis, characterization and fluorescence property of a novel layered fluorinated gallium phosphite with heptameric building unit

A new fluorinated gallium phosphite, Ga₃F₂(2,2′-bipy)₂(HPO₃)₂(H_1.5PO₃)₂1, which is the first layered gallium phosphite with neutral framework, has been hydrothermally synthesized in the presence of 2,2′-bipyridine (2,2′-bipy) acting as a ligand. The as-synthesized product was characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, powder X-ray diffraction, IR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), ICP-AES and elemental analyses and fluorescent spectrum. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that compound 1 crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2/c (No. 15) with cell parameters a=17.633(3) Å, b=9.883(2) Å, c=16.793(3) Å, β=109.88(3)°, V=2752.1(9) Å³ and Z=4. The construction of two-dimensional (2D)-layered structure in compound 1 may be viewed as the assembly of heptameric building unit, which is the first to be found in gallium phosphate/phosphite. The heptameric building unit exists in two types of configuration, which alternately connect through oxygen atoms from HPO₃ pseudo-pyramids to form a layer with 10-membered ring windows viewed along the a-axis. The adjacent layers are stably packed together and exhibit interesting three-dimensional (3D) supramolecular array via π-π interactions of the 2,2′-bipy groups. Additionally, compound 1 shows strong fluorescent property in solid state at room temperature.