An organometallic sol-gel route to layered zinc phenylphosphonate and encapsulation studies with η6-(C6H6)Cr(CO)3

Phenylphosphonic acid reacts with diethylzinc in toluene/THF to give a white gel. The gel was dried in air at room temperature for 8 h to give the layered compound [ZnC6H5PO3]. H2O (1). This process represents a convenient non-aqueous organometallic sol-gel route to a layered metal phosphonate material. Zinc phenylphosphonate synthesized using the sol-gel method is identical to that prepared using the conventional aqueous precipitation technique as determined by IR spectroscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis and powder X-ray diffraction. eta(6)-(C6H6)Cr(CO)(3) can be incorporated into the gel during the condensation reaction. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.