Crystal Structure and Spectroscopic Characterization of K(6)(VO)(4)(SO(4))(8) Containing Mixed-Valent...

Pleochroistic crystals (dark green to colorless) of a mixed-valence V(IV)-V(V) compound, K(6)(VO)(4)(SO(4))(8), suitable for X-ray determination have been obtained from the catalytically important K(2)S(2)O(7)-V(2)O(5)/SO(2)-O(2)-SO(3)-N(2) molten salt-gas system, at approximately 400 degrees C. The compound crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2(1) (No. 4) with a = 8.931(2) Å, b = 18.303 (3) Å, c = 9.971(2) Å, beta = 90.11(2) degrees, and Z = 2. It contains two rather similar V(IV)-V(V) pairs of VO(6) octahedra distorted as usual having a short V-O bond of around 1.57 Å, a long bond of around 2.40 Å trans to this, and four equatorial bonds around 2.00 Å. The bond lengths of the V(V)O(6) octahedra are significantly shorter than those found for the V(IV)O(6) octahedra. The eight different SO(4)(2)(-) groups are all bridging bidentate between the V(IV) and V(V) atoms; a third oxygen is coordinated to a vanadium atom of a neighboring chain trans to the short V=O bond, and the fourth oxygen remains uncoordinated. The measured bond distances and angles show a considerable distortion of the SO(4) tetrahedra. This is confirmed by the IR spectra of the compound, where large shift and splitting of the sulfate nu(3) bands up to wave numbers of around 1300 cm(-)(1) is observed. The ESR spectra of the compound exhibit weak anisotropy with g(iso) = 1.972 +/- 0.002 and DeltaB(pp) = 65 +/- 2 G. The compound may cause the deactivation for industrial sulfuric acid catalysts observed around 400 degrees C in highly converted SO(2)-O(2)-N(2) gas mixtures.