Open Access

Katharina Förg, Henning A. Höppe

• Lanthanide hydrogen-polyphosphates Ln[H(PO3)4] (Ln = Tb, Dy, Ho) were synthesised as colourless (Ln = Tb, Dy) and light pink (Ln = Ho) crystalline powders by reaction of Tb4O7/Dy2O3/Ho2O3 with H3PO3 at 380 °C. All compounds crystallise isotypically (P21/c (no. 14), Z = 4, aTb = 1368.24(4) pm, bTb = 710.42(2) pm, cTb = 965.79(3) pm, βTb = 101.200(1)°, 3112 data, 160 parameters, wR2 = 0.062, aHo = 1363.34(5) pm, bHo = 709.24(3) pm, cHo = 959.07(4) pm, βHo = 101.055(1)°, 1607 data, 158 parameters, wR2 = 0.058). The crystal structure comprises two different infinite helical chains of corner-sharing phosphate tetrahedra. In-between these chains the lanthanide ions are located, coordinated by seven oxygen atoms belonging to four different polyphosphate chains. Vibrational, UV/Vis and fluorescence spectra of Ln[H(PO3)4] (Ln = Tb, Dy, Ho) as well as Dy[H(PO3)4]:Ln (Ln = Ce, Eu) and the magnetic and thermal behaviour of Tb[H(PO3)4] are reported.