The most reactive chemical element, F(2), has been claimed not to occur in nature. First direct evidence from in situ NMR spectroscopy now proves that elemental F(2) indeed occurs in nature as an occlusion in "antozonite" (right in the picture), a variant of fluorite (CaF(2), left).

A new synthesis route for phosphates in an organic solvent at low temperatures is presented. The synthesis was done by dispersing a nitrate salt and phosphorus pentoxide in dimethyl sulfoxide. The synthesis can be performed under water-free conditions and yielded several organic and inorganic phosphates. Crystal structure solution of bistetramethylammonium hydrogencyclotriphosphate, [N(CH3)4]2HP3O9, was achieved by combining information gained from powder X-ray diffraction, liquid NMR and solid state (2D) NMR. The molecular structure of rubidium cyclotetraphosphate, Rb4P4O12, was determined using liquid state NMR and solid state (2D) NMR spectroscopy.

Comment tert-Butylglycolic acid was prepared as a chelating molecule bearing the sterically demanding tert-butyl group as a substituent. In order to estimate the influence of chelation on structural parameters of the chelating molecule, the structure of the parent compound was investigated.

Abstract. Crystalline α-bistetramethylammonium hydrogencyclotriphosphate [N(CH 3 ) 4 ] 2 HP 3 O 9 (Pcab), which were synthesized via a low-temperature route (Ͻ60°C) shows an irreversible first-order phase transition to β-[N(CH 3 ) 4 ] 2 HP 3 O 9 (P2 1 2 1 2 1 ), which was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray powder diffraction, and solid state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The crystal structure

The (31)P chemical shift tensor of the phosphonate group [RC-PO(2)(OH)](-) is investigated with respect to its principal axis values and its orientation in a local coordinate system (LCS) defined from the P atom and the directly coordinated atoms. For this purpose, six crystalline metal aminotris(methylenephosphonates), MAMP·xH(2)O with M = Zn, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, and (2Na) and x = 3, 3, 4.5, 0, 0, and 1.5, respectively, were synthesized and identified by diffraction methods. The crystal structure of water-free BaAMP is described here for the first time. The principal components of the (31)P shift tensor were determined from powders by magic-angle-spinning NMR. Peak assignments and orientations of the chemical shift tensors were established by quantum-chemical calculations from first principles using the extended embedded ion method. Structure optimizations of the H-atom positions were necessary to obtain the chemical shift tensors reliably. We show that the (31)P tensor orientation can be predicted within certain error limits from a well-chosen LCS, which reflects the pseudosymmetry of the phosphonate environment.

Electrical conductivity measurements of alkaline earth diazenides SrN2 and BaN2 revealed temperature-dependent metal-like behavior. As CaN2 is isotypic with SrN2 its electronic properties are supposed to show similar characteristics. For the alkali diazenide Li2N2, the corresponding measurement shows not only the typical characteristics of metallic materials but also an unexpected rise in electrical conductivity above 250 K, which is consistent with an ionic contribution. This interpretation is further corroborated by static 6Li and 7Li nuclear magnetic resonance measurements (NMR) of the spin-lattice relaxation time (T 1) over an extended temperature range from 50 to 425 K. We observe a constant Heitler-Teller product (T 1 T) as expected for metals at low temperatures and a maximum in the temperature-dependent relaxation rates, which reflects the suggested ionic conductivity. A topological structural analysis indicates possible 3D ion migration pathways between two of the three crystallographic independent Li positions. A crude estimate of temperature-dependent self-diffusion coefficients D(T) of the lithium motion classifies Li2N2 as a mixed electronic/ionic conductor.

Fluor als reaktivstes Element kommt in der Natur nicht elementar, sondern nur in gebundener Form vor. So wurde es bisher gelehrt. Doch die Aussage muss revidiert werden: Münchner Wissenschaftler haben im Stinkspat, einem Calciumfluorid-Mineral, vor kurzem per Festkörper-NMR-Spektroskopie erstmals in situ elementares Fluor nachgewiesen [1].

The crystalline phase β-[N(CH ) ] HP O undergoes a reversible phase transition to γ-[N(CH ) ] HP O , which was studied by dynamic scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction. The rotational dynamics of the anion [P O ] were evident from variable temperature P magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR spectroscopy. The rotational dynamics could be simulated with a 3-site jump model, which yields spectra in good agreement with experiment. An activation energy of 0.6 eV could be estimated from line shape analysis. Impedance spectra reflect a bulk proton conductivity of γ-[N(CH ) ] HP O of 6.9×10 S cm at 240 °C and an activation energy of approximately 1.0 eV. Thus this salt features bulk protonic motion, while local rotational anionic motion happens with activation energies of the same order, as suggested by the paddle-wheel mechanism.