Synthesis and crystal structure of zirconium chloromethylphosphonate

Abstract

The crystal structure of zirconium chloromethylphosphonate, Zr(O₃PCH₂Cl)₂, has been solved and refined using powder diffraction data. The crystals belong to the space group P2₁/c with a= 9.3402(7)Å, b= 5.3926(3)Å, c= 21.374(2)Å and β= 107.892 (5)°. The reliability factors are R_wp= 0.155, R_p= 0.115, R_F= 0.04 and expected R_wp= 0.035. The layer arrangement in the structure resembles very closely that in α-zirconium phosphate. The chlorine atoms on both the methyl groups are disordered, in such a way that the disordered positions are displaced along the b axis of the crystal.