Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 20, 2025

Fabrication Procedures and Birefringence Measurements for Designing Magnetically Responsive Lanthanide Ion Chelating Phospholipid Assemblies
Published on: January 3, 2018
Sn2 PO4 I: An Excellent Birefringent Material with Giant Optical Anisotropy in Non π-Conjugated Phosphate
Jingyu Guo1,2, Abudukadi Tudi1,2, Shujuan Han1,2
1CAS Key Laboratory of Functional Materials and Devices for Special Environments, Xinjiang Technical Institute of Physics & Chemistry of CAS, Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Electronic Information Materials and Devices, 40-1 South Beijing Road, Urumqi, 830011, China.
Abstract:
Exploring non π-conjugated phosphate birefringent crystal with a large birefringence has been a great challenge. Herein, based on the unique two-dimensional layered structure in KBe2 BO3 F2 (KBBF), two new compounds, Sn2 PO4 I and Sn2 BO3 I, were designed and synthesized successfully, maintaining the layer structural feature and enhancing the optical anisotropy of crystals. In particular, the birefringence of Sn2 PO4 I is larger than or equal to 0.664 @546 nm, which is largest among the reported borates and phosphates, even surpassing commercial birefringent crystals YVO4 and TiO2 . This work indicates that a breakthrough in birefringence of inorganic compound was achieved. Also, it provides a guiding idea for exploring large birefringence materials in the future.
Related Concept Videos
Stereoisomerism
Isomers are different chemical species that have the same chemical formula.
Transition metal complexes often exist as geometric isomers, in which the same atoms are connected through the same types of bonds but with differences in their orientation in space. Coordination complexes with two different ligands in the cis and trans positions from a ligand of interest form isomers. For example, the octahedral [Co(NH3)4Cl2]+ ion has two isomers (Figure 1) In the cis...
Properties of Enantiomers and Optical Activity
Chirality at Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Sulfur
A consequence of chirality is the need for enantiomeric resolution. While this is theoretically possible for all...

