A series of cesium triphosphates with a layer structure:: Cs2MP3O10 (M=Ga, Al, Cr)

A series of non-hydrated triphosphates containing cesium, Cs2MP3O10 (M= Ga, Al, Cr), has been synthesized for the first time. Their original structure crystallizes in the space group P2(1)/c, with a approximate to 12.3 Angstrom, b approximate to 9.0 Angstrom, c approximate to 9.5 Angstrom, and beta approximate to 95degrees. The [MP3O10](infinity) layers built up of corner-sharing MO6 octahedra and tritetrahedral P3O10 groups can be described from MP3O13 units in which one MO6 octahedra shares the three corners of one face with one P3O10 group. The open character of the layers makes that Cs+ cations are not only interleaved between the layers, but also located in the pseudo-tunnels they present. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science (USA).