The crystal structure of zirconyl chloride octahydrate and zirconyl bromide octahydrate

Abstract

The compounds ZrOC12. 8I-I20 and ZrOBr~. 8tt20 are isomorphous and belong to the tetragonal space group D~x-P421c, with Z --8. For the chloride a ----17-08 and c -~ 7.689 /~, and for the bro-mide a ----17-65 and c -~ 7.95 /~. The zireonyl group consists of a complex in which four zirconium atoms are at the corners of a slightly distorted square and are linked along each edge of the square by two OH groups--one above and one below the plane of the square. Four water molecules are bound to each zirconium in such a manner that the arrangement of the eight oxygens about each zirconium is a distorted square antiprism. There are no zirconium-halogen bonds in the structure.