The incorporation of low levels of Mn(II) (Mn/Al∼0.001) into five aluminophosphate zeotypes was studied
by high-field echo-detected EPR, and by 31P and 1H electron−nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) spectroscopies. The zeotype structures investigatedSOD, AEL, AFI, SBS, and SBTcover a variety of channel
morphologies, and span a range of framework densities. The highly resolved EPR spectra could distinguish
between two types of Mn with different 55Mn hyperfine couplings in structures containing more than one T
site. Mims and Davies 31P ENDOR spectra, recorded at a field set to one of the |−/2, m
I
〉 → |+1/2, m
I
〉 55Mn
hyperfine components consist of a symmetric doublet, with a splitting in the range of 5−8 MHz. The large
open structures showed smaller couplings than the denser morphologies. A similar 31P hyperfine was also
detected for Fe(III) incorporated into aluminophosphate zeotype with the SOD structure. Variations in the 1H
ENDOR spectra of the various Mn(II) substituted zeotypes, particularly in the relative intensity of the 1H
matrix line, were detected as well. These ENDOR results indicate a common mechanism of framework
substitution in which Mn(II) and Fe(III) are replacing Al (or Mg). Moreover, the spectra serve as a probe for
the differences in the local environment and bonding topology of these substituted framework sites. A qualitative
interpretation of the 31P ENDOR data is provided, based on relevant crystallographic information, and the 1H
ENDOR signals are partially attributed to the interactions with the templates occluded in the zeotype cages.
To further relate the isotropic 31P hyperfine couplings to structural properties, DFT methods were employed
for cluster model optimizations and hyperfine coupling constants calculations. Geometry optimizations of
substituted rings, derived from the SOD and AEL framework structures, indicate considerable distortions of
the coordination environment of framework Mn as compared to Al. A systematic study of the hyperfine
interactions of a series of model structures containing tetrahedral and octahedral Mn(II) show that both Mn−O
bond lengths and Mn−O−P bond angles contribute significantly to the variation in the isotropic and anisotropic
31P hyperfine coupling.