Crystal structure of silver strontium copper orthophosphate, AgSr4Cu4.5(PO4)6

Abstract

Crystals of the new compound, AgSr4Cu4.5(PO4)6, were grown successfully by the hydrothermal process. The asymmetric unit of the crystal structure of the title compound contains 40 independent atoms (4 Sr, 4.5 Cu, 1 Ag, 6 P and 24 O), which are all in general positions except for one Cu atom, which is located on an inversion centre. The Cu atoms are arranged in CuO n (n = 4 or 5) polyhedra, linked through common oxygen corners to build a rigid three-dimensional motif. The connection of these copper units is assured by PO4 tetrahedra. This arrangement allows the construction of layers extending parallel to the (100) plane and hosts suitable cavities in which Ag+ and Sr2+ cations are located. The crystal-structure cohesion is ensured by ionic bonds between the silver and strontium cations and the oxygen anions belonging to two adjacent sheets. Charge-distribution analysis and bond-valence-sum calculations were used to validate the structural model.