2003/02/06 by Robert E. Dinnebier, S. Vensky, Martin Panthöfer +1 · 1 citation
Materials Science · #X-ray Diffraction in Crystallography #Nuclear materials and radiation effects #Advanced ceramic materials synthesis
paper · doi:10.1021/ic0205536
openalex publication_date 2003/02/06 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/16
The molecular and crystal structures of solvent-free potassium, rubidium, and cesium oxalates have been determined ab initio from high-resolution synchrotron and X-ray laboratory powder patterns. In the case of potassium oxalate K(2)C(2)O(4) (a = 10.91176(7) A, b = 6.11592(4) A, c = 3.44003(2) A, orthorhombic, Pbam, Z = 2), the oxalate anion is planar, whereas in cesium oxalate Cs(2)C(2)O(4) (a = 6.62146(5) A, b = 11.00379(9) A, c = 8.61253(7) A, beta = 97.1388(4) degrees, monoclinic, P2(1)/c, Z = 4) it exhibits a staggered conformation. For rubidium oxalate at room temperature, two polymorphs exist, one (beta-Rb(2)C(2)O(4)) isotypic to potassium oxalate (a = 11.28797(7) A, b = 6.29475(4) A, c = 3.62210(2) A, orthorhombic, Pbam, Z = 2) and the other (alpha-Rb(2)C(2)O(4)) isotypic to cesium oxalate (a = 6.3276(1) A, b = 10.4548(2) A, c = 8.2174(2) A, beta = 98.016(1) degrees, monoclinic, P2(1)/c, Z = 4). The potassium oxalate structure can be deduced from the AlB(2) type, and the cesium oxalate structure from the Hg(99)As type, respectively. The relation between the two types of crystal structures and the reason for the different conformations of the oxalate anion are discussed.