ABSTRACT
The title compound, lithium potassium dialuminium digermanium octaoxide dihydrate, (K,Li)-(Al,Ge)-GIS (GIS is gismondine), is the result of a 50% Li(+) exchange into the K-(Al,Ge)-GIS structure. The (K,Li)-(Al,Ge)-GIS structure was determined from a 4 x 4 x 2 micro m octahedral single crystal at the ESRF synchrotron X-ray source. The ion exchange results in a symmetry transformation from I2/a for K-(Al,Ge)-GIS to C2/c for (K,Li)-(Al,Ge)-GIS. The structural change is due to disordering of K(+) ions with Li(+) ions along the [001] channel and ordering of water molecules in the [101] channels. The distance between sites partially occupied by K(+) ions increases from 2.19 (3) A in K-(Al,Ge)-GIS to 2.94 (3) A in (K,Li)-(Al,Ge)-GIS. The Li(+) ions occupy positions along the twofold axis at the intersection of the eight-membered-ring channels in a twofold coordination with water molecules. For the four closest framework O(2-) anions, the Li.O distances are 3.87 (4) A.
