RBIN(OH)PO4 - AN INDIUM(III) PHOSPHATE-CONTAINING SPIRALS OF CORNER-SHARING INO6 OCTAHEDRA

An indium(III) phosphate, RbIn(OH)PO4, was synthesized using a high te mperature, high pressure hydrothermal method and characterized by sing le-crystal X-ray diffraction. The compound crystallizes in the tetrago nal space group P4(3)2(1)2 (no. 96) with a = 9.400(2), c = 11.179(4) A ngstrom, U = 987.8(4) Angstrom(3) and Z = 8. The structure consists of spirals of cis corner-sharing InO6 octahedra running parallel to the c axis. The hydroxyl oxygens the bridging atom. The In-O-In bonds are nearly equidistant. The composition was further defined by thermogravi metric and infrared spectroscopy measurements. Second harmonics were g enerated in powdered RbIn(OH)PO4 to confirm the absence of a centre of symmetry in the structure.