Experimental determinations and quantum-chemical calculations of the vibrational spectra of β-ZnB4O7 and β-CaB4O7

Efficient metal borate catalysts for oxidative dehydrogenation of propane

Boron-based catalysts have attracted attention due to their high selectivity to light olefins in the catalytic oxidative dehydrogenation of propane (ODHP) in the recent years, however, which still faced the...

High-pressure synthesis of REB5O8(OH)2 (RE = Ho, Er, Tm)

The rare earth oxoborates REB5O8(OH)2 (RE = Ho, Er, Tm) were synthesized in a Walker-type multianvil apparatus at a pressure of 2.5 GPa and a temperature of 673 K. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction data provided the basis for the structure solution and refinement. The compounds crystallize in the monoclinic space group C2 (no. 5) and are composed of a layer-like structure containing dreier and sechser rings of corner sharing [BO4]5− tetrahedra. The rare earth metal cations are coordinated between two adjacent sechser rings. Further characterization was performed utilizing IR spectroscopy.

High-pressure synthesis and crystal structure of the samarium meta-oxoborate γ-Sm(BO2)3

γ-Sm(BO2)3 was obtained via a high-pressure/high-temperature approach in a multi-anvil apparatus at 10 GPa and 1673 K. It crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pca21 (no. 29) with the lattice parameters a = 18.3088(8), b = 4.4181(2), and c = 4.2551(2) Å. The compound was analysed by means of X-ray diffraction and vibrational spectroscopy. The structure is isotypic to that of the already known meta-oxoborates γ-RE(BO2)3 (RE = La−Nd) and built up of a highly condensed borate framework containing three-, four-, six-, and ten-membered rings. Next to neodymium, samarium represents the second rare earth element that forms the α-, β-, and γ-modification of the four known rare earth meta-oxoborate structure types.

High-pressure synthesis and characterization of the non-centrosymmetric scandium borate ScB6O9(OH)3

The non-centrosymmetric scandium borate ScB6O9(OH)3 was obtained through a high-pressure/high-temperature experiment at 6 GPa and 1473 K. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction revealed that the structure is isotypic to InB6O9(OH)3 containing borate triple layers separated by scandium layers. The compound crystallizes in the space group Fdd2 with the lattice parameters a = 38.935(4), b = 4.4136(4), and c = 7.6342(6) Å. Powder X-ray diffraction and vibrational spectroscopy were used to further characterize the compound and verify the proposed structure solution.

La3 B6 O13 (OH): The First Acentric High-Pressure Borate Displaying Edge-Sharing BO4 Tetrahedra

La3 B6 O13 (OH) was obtained by a high-pressure/high-temperature experiment at 6 GPa and 1673 K. The compound crystallizes in the space group P21 (no. 4) with the lattice parameters a=4.785(2), b=12.880(4), c=7.433(3) Å, and β=90.36(10)°, and is built up of corner- as well as edge-sharing BO4 tetrahedra. It represents the first acentric high-pressure borate containing these B2 O6 entities. The compound develops borate layers of "sechser"-rings with the La3+ cations positioned between the layers. Single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction, vibrational and MAS NMR spectroscopy, second-harmonic generation (SHG) and thermoanalytical measurements, as well as computational methods were used to affirm the proposed structure and the B2 O6 entities.

β-Eu(BO2)3 – a new member of the β-RE(BO2)3 (RE=Y, Nd, Sm, Gd–Lu) structure family

The title compound β-Eu(BO2)3 was synthesized in a high-pressure/high-temperature experiment at 4 GPa and 1473 K. The europium borate crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pnma (no. 62) with the lattice parameters a = 16.071(2), b = 7.440(4), and c = 12.362(5) Å. The structure is isotypic to the already known meta-borates β-RE(BO2)3 (RE = Y, Nd, Sm, Gd, Dy–Lu) and is built up of approximately triangular ribbons of BO4 tetrahedra. The compound was further characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, vibrational spectroscopy and shows a typical Eu3+ line emission upon excitation at 448 nm.

Synthesis, structural characterization and scalable preparation of new amino-zinc borates

Zinc borates are very important industrial materials with applications that include fire retardants and preservatives in wood. In this work, we report the preparation of three novel zinc borates: [Zn(NH₃)₃B₄O₅(OH)₄]·H₂O (ZB1), Zn₃(H₂B₃O₇)₂·2NH₃·4H₂O (ZB2), and [Zn(NH₃)₄][B₄O₅(OH)₄]·4H₂O (ZB3). The solid phases were characterized by elemental analysis, X-ray diffraction, infrared and Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and thermal analysis. The crystal structures of ZB1 (monoclinic, Cc, a = 12.1972(8), b = 7.8314(5), c = 12.1441(8) Å and β = 107.404(5)°) and ZB3 (orthorhombic, Pbca, a = 15.0796(9), b = 11.8853(5) and c = 16.7606(8) Å) were determined. They are novel neutral Zn-polyborate complexes [Zn(NH₃)₃B₄O₅(OH)₄] hydrate and [Zn(NH₃)₄][B₄O₅(OH)₄] tetrahydrate salt, respectively. The complete assignment of infrared and Raman spectra was performed theoretically using DFT calculations. For ZB2 (obtained as a polycrystalline phase), powder X-ray diffraction confirmed a single phase and allowed the determination of the unit cell parameters and lattice type (rhombohedral, a = 36.78076 (6), c = 12.20052 (3) Å) with an expected formula Zn₃(H₂B₃O₇)₂·2NH₃·4H₂O suggesting that this compound is a complex triborate. Furthermore, a low-cost scalable synthetic procedure for ZB1 starting from zinc oxide and boric acid in ammonia solution with a high yield is also reported.

RE 2B8O15 (RE = La, Pr, Nd) – syntheses of three new rare earth borates isotypic to Ce2B8O15

The rare earth borates RE 2B8O15 (RE = La, Pr, Nd) were synthesized in a Walker-type multianvil apparatus under conditions of 5.5 GPa and 1100 °C. Starting from the corresponding rare earth oxides and boron oxide, the syntheses yielded crystalline products of all new compounds that allowed crystal structure analyses based on single-crystal X-ray diffraction data for La2B8O15 and Nd2B8O15. The compound Pr2B8O15 could be characterized via X-ray powder diffractometry. The results show that the new compounds crystallize isotypically to Ce2B8O15 in the monoclinic space group P2/c. The infrared spectra of RE 2B8O15 (RE = La, Pr, Nd) have also been studied.