X-ray single crystal analysis of MnS04 • 5H2O shows that the manganese atoms are octahedral ly coordinated by oxygen atoms, four of which belong to water molecules and two to sulphate groups.A model derived from the crystal structure was fitted to the X-ray scattering intensities from aqueous MnS04. Good agreement with experimental data is achieved using a model in which Mn(H20)6-2(0S03)z +2 " 2z interacts with about ten water molecules and each sulphate ion with about seven water molecules.Analysis of X-ray [1-3] and neutron [4] diffraction data from concentrated aqueous salt solutions gives details about the environment of the ions and information about the geometry of the coordination polyhedra. This is particularly useful in the case of direct interaction between the anion and the cation, since information about their relative orientation cannot be obtained through other experimental techniques than diffraction; in the last several years contributions to the knowledge of complex-formation in solution have been provided by the analysis of halogen salt solutions [1,3,5] and recently by that of some sulphate salts, i.e. Shapovalow and Radchenko [10] examined diffraction data of dilute MnS04 solutions; their analysis was, however, limited to the first hydration sphere and no mention was made of cation-anion interaction, although an indication for its presence is suggested by the values of equilibrium constants [11]. We therefore undertook a detailed analysis of the diffraction data of two concentrated MnS04 solutions, which is reported in this paper, together with the single crystal structure determination of MnS04-5H20.
Experimental and Data ProcessingMnS04 • H20 (Merck reagent grade) was dissolved in water to give a 2M (Sol. A) and a saturated Reprints request to Dr. Ruggero Caminiti, Istituto Chimico, Universitä di Cagliari, Via Ospedale 72, 09100 Cagliari, Italy.(Sol. B) solution. Mn + + and SO^-contents were determined by titrations with standard EDTA [12] and with a cation exchange resin (Dowex 50W-X8). The analytical results are given in Table 1. X-ray scattering data were obtained at 20i 1°C on a $ -& diffractometer using Moka radiation (wavelength X = 0.7107 Ä). A divergent beam was diffracted at the horizontal surface of the sample and then monochromatized by reflection from a curved quartz crystal. The observed range of scattering angles (2$) was from 3° to 134°, corresponding to the range 0.46 Ä -1 ^ 16.3 A -1 , where s= (4tt/A) sin $ is the scattering variable. The measured intensities were corrected for background, polarization and absorption [13], and smoothed by fourth differences [14], The Compton contribution was evaluated by a semiempirical method [15] in order to account for the monochromator discrimination. The corrected intensities were scaled to the independent scattering factor for the solution using both the analytical method