Reactivity of a new zirconium phosphonate phase, Zr-2(O3P-CH2CH2-bipyridinium-CH2CH2-PO3)X-6 center dot 2H(2)O, toward organic and inorganic monophosphonates

We report that zirconium viologen diphosphonate, (Zr-2(O3PCH2CH2-bipyridini um-CH2CH2-PO3)X-6 . 2H(2)O), where X= halide ion, ZrVP, will react with a v ariety of phosphonates (H2O3P-R, where R = OH, H, CH3, C6H5) under mild con ditions, producing a disordered porous phase. This is in sharp contrast to the observed reactivity of the more common zirconium phosphonate phases: th e alpha-phase group (IVB) layered phosphonates Zr(O3PR)(2) (whose structure s are based upon alpha-(Zr(O3POH)(2) . H2O), alpha-ZrP) are resistant to re action with monophosphonates while gamma-Zr(O4P)(O2P(OH)(2)) . 2H(2)O, gamm a-ZrP, undergoes topotactic ligand exchange with mono- and di-phosphonates to form ordered porous materials. We follow the reaction by X-ray powder di ffraction and IR and UV spectroscopies and investigate the porous nature of the resulting solids through ion-exchange and N-2 adsorption experiments. (C) 1999 Academic Press.