The hydrothermal synthesis of the large-pore oxy-fluorinated gallophosphate ULM-5 has been
followed in situ using time-resolved energy dispersive and angular dispersive X-ray diffraction. A variety of
synthetic parameters such as temperature, reagent stoichiometry, source materials, and pH have been studied,
and their effect on the crystallization determined. The nature of the phosphorus source used, either
orthophosphoric acid or phosphorus pentoxide, is found to have a profound influence on the reaction pathway.
Using orthophosphoric acid, ULM-5 is found to form very rapidly following a short induction period. A kinetic
analysis of the crystallization of ULM-5 using orthophosphoric acid under isothermal hydrothermal conditions
has been performed. Comparison of the experimentally determined extent of reaction (α) versus time data
with those predicted by various theoretical models indicates that over a wide range of temperatures and pH
the crystallization can be modeled by a three-dimensional diffusion-controlled process. This process occurs at
a rate essentially independent of temperature and pH. In contrast, using phosphorus pentoxide, the formation
of ULM-5 is found to proceed via the formation of either of two distinct crystalline intermediate phases,
which subsequently react to form the ULM-5 final product at a rate which is strongly dependent on temperature.
The relative quantities of each intermediate phase formed depend critically on the precise reagent stoichiometry
used. Conditions have been identified in which ULM-5 can be formed exclusively via either intermediate
phase. The mechanism of transformation of intermediate to product phases appears to be either a direct solid−solid transformation, or via the dissolution or amorphorization of only a small quantity of material at the
surface of the intermediate crystallites.