Study of the solid–liquid equilibria in the LiPO3–Y(PO3)3 binary system

The LiPO3–Y(PO3)3 system has been studied for the first time. Microdifferential thermal analysis (μ-DTA), infrared spectroscopy (IR) and X-ray diffraction were used to investigate the liquidus and solidus relations. The only new compound observed within this system is LiY(PO3)4, melting incongruently at 1104 K. An eutectic appears at 4±1 mol% Y(PO3)3 at 933 K. LiY(PO3)4 crystallizes in the monoclinic system C2/c with a unit cell: a=16.201(4) Å, b=7.013(2) Å, c=9.573(2) Å, β=125.589(9)°, Z=4 and V=884.5 Å3, which is isostructural to LiNd(PO3)4. The infrared absorption spectrum indicates that this salt is a chain polyphosphate.