The crystal structure of paramagnetic copper(II) oxalate (CuC2O4): formation and thermal decomposition of randomly stacked anisotropic nano-sized crystallites.

Synthetic copper(II) oxalate, CuC2O4, was obtained in a precipitation reaction between a copper(II) solution and an aqueous solution of oxalic acid. The product was identified from its conventional X-ray powder patterns which match that of the copper mineral Moolooite reported to have the composition CuC2O4·0.44H2O. Time resolved in situ investigations of the thermal decomposition of copper(II) oxalate using synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction showed that in air the compound converts to Cu2O at 215 °C and oxidizes to CuO at 345 °C. Thermo gravimetric analysis performed in an inert Ar-gas reveals that the material contains no crystal water and reduces to pure Cu at 295 °C. Magnetic susceptibility measurements in the temperature range from 2 K to 300 K show intriguing paramagnetic behaviour with no sign of magnetic order down to 2 K. A crystal structure investigation is made based on powder diffraction data using one neutron diffraction pattern obtained at 5 K (λ = 1.5949(1) Å) combined with one conventional and two synchrotron X-ray diffraction patterns obtained at ambient temperature using λ = 1.54056, 1.0981 and λ = 0.50483(1) Å, respectively. Based on the X-ray synchrotron data the resulting crystal structure is described in the monoclinic space group P21/c (#14) in the P121/n1 setting with unit cell parameters a = 5.9598(1) Å, b = 5.6089(1) Å, c = 5.1138 (1) Å, ß = 115.320(1)°. The composition is CuC2O4 with atomic coordinates determined by FullProf refinement of the neutron diffraction data. The crystal structure consists of a random stacking of CuC2O4 micro-crystallites where half the Cu-atoms are placed at (2a) and the other half at (2b) positions with the corresponding oxalate molecules centred around the corresponding (2b) and (2a) site positions, respectively. The diffraction patterns obtained for both kinds of radiation show considerable broadening of several Bragg peaks caused by highly anisotropic microstructural size and strain effects. In contrast to the water reported to be present in Moolooite, neither thermogravimetric nor the in situ thermal decomposition investigations and crystal structure analysis of the neutron diffraction data revealed any trace of water. An appendix contains details about the profile parameters for the diffractometers used at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility and the Institute Max von Laue-Paul Langevin.

Investigation of the crystal structure of a basic bismuth(III) nitrate with the composition [Bi6O4(OH)4](0.54(1))[Bi6O5(OH)3](0.46(1))(NO3)(5.54(1)).

A basic bismuth(III) nitrate with the composition [Bi(6)O(4)(OH)(4)](0.5)[Bi(6)O(5)(OH)(3)](0.5)(NO(3))(5.5) formed in a slow crystal growth mode has an ordered crystal structure with the monoclinic space group P2(1) and lattice parameters a = 15.850(3), b = 14.986(3), c = 18.230(4) Å, ß = 107.329(17)° and volume V = 4133.6 Å(3) (Henry et al. 2003). In a very fast crystal growth mode the complex ions disorder in another P2(1) cell with slightly different lattice parameters a = 15.8404(1), b = 15.1982(1), c = 18.3122(1) Å, ß = 106.829(1)° and V = 4219.8 Å(3). This cell can be related to two smaller cells: a monoclinic C2/m cell with a = 13.7161(1), b = 15.1943(1), c = 10.2399(1) Å, ß = 98.586(1)° and V = 2110.1 Å(3) and a trigonal R3 cell with a = 15.18650(6), c = 15.8416(1) Å (hexagonal setting) and V = 3164.1 Å(3). These smaller cells correspond to average structures and hence the X-ray data do not account for the difference in the structures of the two different complex ions. However, when analysing neutron powder diffraction data, it is possible to distinguish between the two complex ions using a trigonal R3 cell with a = 15.1865(1) and c = 15.8416(1) Å (hexagonal setting). In a Rietveld type structure model refinement with a total of 28 atom sites (4 Bi, 3 N, 15 O and 6 H), the composition of this sample is determined to be [Bi(6)O(4)(OH)(4)](0.54(1))[Bi(6)O(5)(OH)(3)](0.46(1))(NO(3))(5.54(1)).

A new calcium sulfate hemi-hydrate.

Calcium sulfate hydrates receive significant attention due to numerous large scale industrial applications. There has been a long debate on the possible existence of two gypsum hemi-hydrate polymorphs, denoted alpha- and beta-CaSO(4).0.5H(2)O. In this work, a new crystal structure of calcium sulfate hemi-hydrates is presented, denoted beta-CaSO(4).0.5H(2)O. The structure was solved using powder neutron diffraction data, the space group is P3(1) and the unit cell in a hexagonal setting a = 6.9268(1), c = 12.7565(3) A. The structure has two calcium-oxygen coordination polyhedra: Ca1 is eight coordinated and has Ca-O bond lengths in the range 2.31(3) to 2.89(2) A and Ca2 is nine coordinated and has one Ca-O(water) bond length of 2.43(3) A, and eight Ca-O bonds in the range 2.30(4) to 2.86(4) A. Two sulfate ions have S-O bonds in the range 1.47(3) to 1.49(4) A, and 1.47(3) to 1.50(3) A, respectively. The water molecule forms a hydrogen bond of 2.55(4) A to an oxygen atom in one of the sulfate ions. The structure of the hemi-hydrate beta-CaSO(4).0.5H(2)O has one-dimensional channels running parallel to the c-axis where the water molecules are located. This relates the structures of alpha- and beta-CaSO(4).0.5H(2)O and soluble anhydrite AIII-CaSO(4), which all have similar channel structures. The water molecules in the structure of beta-CaSO(4).0.5H(2)O are packed in the channels with a three fold (3(1)) symmetry in a different way as compared to the pseudo hexagonal found in the structure of alpha-CaSO(4).0.5H(2)O.

Thermal decomposition of monocalcium aluminate decahydrate (CaAl2O4.10H2O) investigated by in-situ synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction, thermal analysis and 27Al, 2H MAS NMR spectroscopy.

The stability of monocalcium aluminate decahydrate, with the nominal composition CaAl(2)O(4).10H(2)O (CAH(10)), has a decisive role for the strength development and durability of cementitious materials based on high alumina cements. This has prompted an investigation of the thermal transformation of crystalline monocalcium aluminate decahydrate in air to an amorphous phase by in-situ synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction in the temperature range from 25 to 500 degrees C, by DTA/TGA, and (2)H, (27)Al MAS NMR spectroscopy. The decomposition includes the loss of hydrogen-bonded water molecules in the temperature range up to 175 degrees C, coupled with a reduction of the unit cell volume from 1928 A(3) at 25 degrees C, to 1674 A(3) at 185 degrees C. Furthermore, X-ray diffraction shows that CaAl(2)O(4).10H(2)O starts to transform to an amorphous phase at approximately 65 degrees C. This phase is fully developed at approximately 175 degrees C and it converts to crystalline CaAl(2)O(4) when heated to 1300 degrees C. The thermal decomposition in the temperature range from approximately 65 to approximately 175 degrees C involves both formation of an amorphous phase including AlO(4) tetrahedra and structural changes in the remaining crystalline phase.

Structure of calcium aluminate decahydrate (CaAl2O4.10D2O) from neutron and X-ray powder diffraction data.

Calcium aluminate decahydrate is hexagonal with the space group P6(3)/m and Z = 6. The compound has been named CaAl(2)O(4).10H(2)O (CAH(10)) for decades and is known as the product obtained by hydration of CaAl(2)O(4) (CA) in the temperature region 273-288 K - one of the main components in high-alumina cements. The lattice constants depend on the water content. Several sample preparations were used in this investigation: one CAH(10), three CAD(10) and one CA(D/H)(10), where the latter is a zero-matrix sample showing no coherent scattering contribution from the D/H atoms in a neutron diffraction powder pattern. The crystal structure including the positions of the H/D atoms was determined from analyses of four neutron diffraction powder patterns by means of the ab initio crystal structure determination program FOX and the FULLPROF crystal structure refinement program. Additionally, eight X-ray powder diffraction patterns (Cu Kalpha(1) and synchrotron X-rays) were used to establish phase purity. The analyses of these combined neutron and X-ray diffraction data clearly show that the previously published positions of the O atoms in the water molecules are in error. Thermogravimetric analysis of the CAD(10) sample preparation used for the neutron diffraction studies gave the composition CaAl(2)(OD)(8)(D(2)O)(2).2.42D(2)O. Neutron and X-ray powder diffraction data gave the structural formula CaAl(2)(OX)(8)(X(2)O)(2).gammaX(2)O (X = D, H and D/H), where the gamma values are sample dependent and lie between 2.3 and 3.3.

Hard superconducting nitrides.

Detailed study of the equation of state, elasticity, and hardness of selected superconducting transition-metal nitrides reveals interesting correlations among their physical properties. Both the bulk modulus and Vickers hardness are found to decrease with increasing zero-pressure volume in NbN, HfN, and ZrN. The computed elastic constants from first principles satisfy c11 > c12 > c44 for NbN, but c11 > c44 > c12 for HfN and ZrN, which are in good agreement with the neutron scattering data. The cubic delta-NbN superconducting phase possesses a bulk modulus of 348 GPa, comparable to that of cubic boron nitride, and a Vickers hardness of 20 GPa, which is close to sapphire. Theoretical calculations for NbN show that all elastic moduli increase monotonically with increasing pressure. These results suggest technological applications of such materials in extreme environments.

Synthesis and characterization of the barium oxalates BaC2O4.0.5H2O, alpha-BaC2O4 and beta-BaC2O4.

The synthesis of BaC(2)O(4).0.5H(2)O and its thermal decomposition to alpha-BaC(2)O(4) and beta-BaC(2)O(4) was investigated. BaC(2)O(4).0.5H(2)O is precipitated at room temperature from aqueous solutions of barium chloride and ammonium oxalate. The deuterated compound BaC(2)O(4).0.5D(2)O was made in analogy with D(2)O as the solvent. The compounds were characterized by X-ray and neutron diffraction analysis. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction of BaC(2)O(4).0.5H(2)O measured at 120 K gave the triclinic cell a = 8.692 (1), b = 9.216 (1), c = 6.146 (1) A, alpha = 95.094 (3), beta = 95.492 (3), gamma = 64.500 (3) degrees, space group P1, Z = 4. Two independent Ba atoms are each coordinated to nine O atoms at distances from 2.73 (1) to 2.99 (1) A. One of the two oxalate ions deviates significantly from planarity. The water molecule does form weak hydrogen bonds. In situ X-ray powder diffraction was used to study the thermal decomposition of BaC(2)O(4).0.5H(2)O and the formation of alpha-BaC(2)O(4). The X-ray powder pattern of alpha-BaC(2)O(4) measured at 473 K was indexed on a triclinic cell with a = 5.137 (3), b = 8.764 (6), c = 9.006 (4) A, alpha = 83.57 (4), beta = 98.68 (5), gamma = 99.53 (5) degrees, and the space group P1 with Z = 4.