Phase relations in the system K2MoO4–KPO3–MoO3–Bi2O3: A new phosphate K3Bi5(PO4)6

Phase equilibrium in the pseudo-quaternary system K2O–MoO3–P2O5–Bi2O3 was studied as three-component solvent K2MoO4–KPO3–MoO3 containing 15 mol% Bi2O3 during slow cooling and spontaneous crystallization. The results of the investigation were shown on a composition diagram, which indicates the crystallization fields of K2Bi(PO4)(MoO4), K5Bi(MoO4)4, BiPO4 and K3Bi5(PO4)6. New phosphate K3Bi5(PO4)6 was characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction (space group C2/c, a=17.680(4), b=6.9370(14), c=18.700(4) Å, β=113.79(3)°) and FTIR spectroscopy. The possibility of lone electron pair stereoactivity of bismuth was suggested using the calculations of characteristics of the Voronoi–Dirichlet polyhedra for K3Bi5(PO4)6 and K2Bi(PO4)(MoO4).