Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 January 2013
A new amine zinc hydroxide nitrate has been synthesized and investigated by means of X-ray powder diffraction. The monoclinic unit cell dimensions are a = 20.781(3) Å, b = 6.2151(9) Å, c = 5.4952(6) Å, β = 92.24(1)° (space group C2/m with Z = 2). The crystal structure has been refined by the Rietveld method using the structure of the related dihydrated phase as a starting model (Rp = 0.092 and RF = 0.068 for 372 reflections). The structure is characterized by octahedra [Zn(OH)6] describing a brucite-type layer, with one-quarter of the metal atoms missing, and by tetrahedra [Zn(OH)3(NH3)] located above and below the empty octahedra. The complex positive sheet has the formula [Zn3octa(OH)8Zn2tetra(NH3)2]2+ and the cohesion of the structure is realized through hydrogen bonding.