Crystal structure of Cd2P2O7
Cadmium pyrophosphate forms crystals having triclinic symmetry with the unit cell parameters a = 6.672(8) Å, b = 6.623(8) Å, c = 6.858(7) Å, α = 95.80(10)°, β = 115.38(8)°, and γ = 82.38(8)°. The space group is [Formula: see text] and there are two molecules per unit cell. The structure was refined by least squares methods using 1326 reflections. The pyrophosphate anion, P2O74−, has a bent P—O—P bond with a bond angle of 132° and with average inner and outer PO bond lengths of 1.62 and 1.51 Å, respectively. The cations are coordinated to five and six oxygen atoms with average cadmium–oxygen atom bond lengths of 2.33 and 2.31 Å, respectively. This pyrophosphate structure differs from that adopted by other divalent metal ions of small radius in that the ends of the anion are in a nearly eclipsed orientation but shows some similarity to those A2B2O7 compounds, where A has a large radius and B a small one.