Hydrogen bonding in coquimbite, nominally Fe₂(SO₄)₃·9H₂O, and the relationship between coquimbite and paracoquimbite

Abstract

Using single-crystal X-ray diffraction at 293, 200 and 100 K, and neutron diffraction at 50 K, we have refined the positions of all atoms, including hydrogen atoms (previously undetermined), in the structure of coquimbite ($P {\bar 3}1c$, a = 10.924(2)/10.882(2) Å, c = 17.086(3) / 17.154(3) Å, V = 1765.8(3)/1759.2(5) ų, at 293 / 50 K, respectively). The use of neutron diffraction allowed us to determine precise and accurate hydrogen positions. The O–H distances in coquimbite at 50 K vary between 0.98 and 1.01 Å. In addition to H₂O molecules coordinated to the Al³⁺ and Fe³⁺ ions, there are rings of six “free” H₂O molecules in the coquimbite structure. These rings can be visualized as flattened octahedra with the distance between oxygen and the geometric center of the polyhedron of 2.46 Å. The hydrogen-bonding scheme undergoes no changes with decreasing temperature and the unit cell shrinks linearly from 293 to 100 K. A review of the available data on coquimbite and its “dimorph” paracoquimbite indicates that paracoquimbite may form in phases closer to the nominal composition of Fe₂(SO₄)₃·9H₂O. Coquimbite, on the other hand, has a composition approximating Fe_1.5Al_0.5(SO₄)₃·9H₂O. Hence, even a “simple” sulfate Fe_2-x Al _x (SO₄)₃·9H₂O may be structurally rather complex.