Characterization of divalent metal metavanadates by 51V magic-angle spinning NMR spectroscopy of the central and satellite transitions.

Abstract

51V quadrupole coupling and chemical shielding tensors have been determined from 51V magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR spectra at a magnetic field of 14.1 T for nine divalent metal metavanadates: Mg(VO3)2, Ca(VO3)2, Ca(VO3)(2).4H2O, alpha-Sr(VO3)2, Zn(VO3)2, alpha- and beta-Cd(VO3)2. The manifold of spinning sidebands (ssbs) from the central and satellite transitions, observed in the 15V MAS NMR spectra, have been analyzed using least-squares fitting and numerical error analysis. This has led to a precise determination of the eight NMR parameters characterizing the magnitudes and relative orientations of the quadrupole coupling and chemical shielding tensors. The optimized data show strong similarities between the NMR parameters for the isostructural groups of divalent metal metavanadates. This demonstrates that different types of metavanadates can easily be distinguished by their anisotropic NMR parameters. The brannerite type of divalent metal metavanadates exhibits very strong 51V quadrupole couplings (i.e., CQ = 6.46-7.50 MHz), which reflect the highly distorted octahedral environments for the V5+ ion in these phases. Linear correlations between the principal tensor elements for the 51V quadrupole coupling tensors and electric field gradient tensor elements, estimated from point-monopole calculations, are reported for the divalent metal metavanadates. These correlations are used in the assignment of the NMR parameters for the different crystallographic 51V sites of Ca(VO3)(2).4H2O, Pb(VO3)2, and Ba(VO3)2. For alpha-Sr(VO3)2, with an unknown crystal structure, the 51V NMR data strongly suggest that this metavanadate is isostructural with Ba(VO3)2, for which the crystal structure has been reported. Finally, the chemical shielding parameters for orthovanadates and mono- and divalent metal metavanadates are compared.