Exchange of iron ions into layers of α-zirconium phosphate

Exchange of Fe(3+) and Fe(2+) ions into layers of alpha -zirconium phosphate is achieved in aqueous media by using monosodium and/or ethanolic forms of the host precursor. The products obtained are characterized by chemical analysis, X-ray powder diffraction and Mossbauer spectroscopy. For site assignments, structural modeling is used by combining the measured and simulated X-ray diffractograms. Fe(3+) ions are incorporated only in part, and a biphasic product is obtained. Exchange of Fe(3+) ions leads to a single phase with 50% iron loading with Fe(2+) ions located in two different coordination states. On a long-term storage in open air, Fe(2 divided by) --> Fe(3+) oxidation proceeds without noticeable change in the crystal structure. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.