Crystal structure and thermal expansion of ammonium pentaborate NH4B5O8

Abstract

Anhydrous ammonium pentaborate NH4B5O8 has been synthesized by thermal dehydration of larderellite NH4[B5O7(OH)2] · H2O at a temperature of 290°C for 7 h. The crystal structure has been determined from the X-ray powder diffraction data: a = 7.58667(5) A, b = 12.00354(8) A, c = 14.71199(8) A, R p = 6.23, R wp = 7.98, R B = 12.7, R F = 8.95, and β-KB5O8 structure type. The double interpenetrating framework is formed by pentaborate groups, each consisting of a boron-oxygen tetrahedron and four triangles, in which all oxygen atoms are bridging. The thermal behavior of the NH4B5O8 compound has been investigated using thermal X-ray diffraction. As for other pentaborates of this type, the thermal expansion of the NH4B5O8 compound is anisotropic and reaches a maximum along the a axis. The thermal expansion coefficients are as follows: α a = 39 × 10−6, α b = 6 × 10−6, α c = 20 × 10−6, and α V = 65 × 10−6 °C−1.