Synthesis,Crystal Structure and Vibrational Spectra of Barium Cyclotetraphosphate Hydrate Ba2(P4O12)∙3.5H2O

Barium tetrametaphosphate hydrate Ba₂(P₄O₁₂)∙3.5H₂O was synthesized as a single‐phase crystalline powder starting from an aqueous solution of barium hydroxide and phosphorus pentoxide at 300 K. Ba₂(P₄O₁₂)∙3.5H₂O crystallizes in a new structure type in which the Ba²⁺ ions form a distorted hexagonal diamond‐like arrangement with the (P₄O₁₂)^4– anions in the trigonal prismatic voids (Ba₂(P₄O₁₂)∙3.5H₂O, C2/c, Z = 4, a = 777.3(2), b = 1297.6(2), c = 1346.1(3) pm, b = 95.38(2)°, wR₂ = 0.071, R₁ = 0.018, 1180 reflections, 118 parameters). The vibrational spectra of Ba₂(P₄O₁₂)∙3.5H₂O and its thermal behavior up to 720 K are also reported.