What is it about?
We have found that at high pressure phosphoric acid forms a previously unobserved crystal structure. We compare the structure with the previously known form, which crystallises at ambient pressure, and compare the nature of the hydrogen bonding within both structures.
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Why is it important?
Phosphoric acid is an industrially important compound, finding a myriad of uses, and its structural behaviour (particularly regarding its hydrogen bonding) is of also fundamental interest to the academic community.
Perspectives
The work described in this paper is the latest in a series of studies on the behaviour of small-molecule systems under high pressure. We have already studied the other mineral acids, nitric acid and sulfuric acid and with our work on phosphoric acid we have completed this triad of fundamental acids. The work brings together single-crystal X-ray diffraction and neutron powder-diffraction and involves a long-standing collaboration between researchers in these areas. One of the main contributors to this work, Bill Marrshall, sadly passed away before the paper was completed and we have dedicated the paper to both his memory and the huge contribution he has made to high-pressure neutron diffraction.
David Allan
Diamond Light Source
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: A new high-pressure polymorph of phosphoric acid, Acta Crystallographica Section B Structural Science Crystal Engineering and Materials, November 2017, International Union of Crystallography,
DOI: 10.1107/s205252061701441x.
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