β-Zn₃(AsO₃)₂

Abstract

In the title compound, trizinc(II) diarsenite or trizinc(II) bis[trioxidoarsenate(III)], the constituent polyhedra that make up the structure are very distorted ZnO(4) tetrahedra and AsO(3) trigonal pyramids. These species fuse together to generate a three-dimensional network containing unusual edge-sharing tetrahedra, with a Zn...Zn separation of 2.903 (3) A. The structure also features eight-ring pseudo-channels occupied by the As(III) lone pairs of electrons. The title compound is a polymorph of the mineral reinerite, which also features edge-shared ZnO(4) tetrahedra.