SOLVING THE STRUCTURE OF A METAL-SUBSTITUTED ALUMINUM PHOSPHATE CATALYST BY ELECTRON-MICROSCOPY, COMPUTER-SIMULATION, AND X-RAY-POWDER DIFFRACTION

A new method for the solution of solid-state structures especially if the compounds can only be obtained as powders is reported. A combination of electron microscopy, electron diffraction, and computer simulation of the lowest energy structure allowed the determination of the structure of the Mg- and Zn-substituted forms of the catalytically active aluminophosphate MeALPO-36. This novel structure has kinships with those of the aluminophosphate ALPO-5 and the zeolite cancrinite Na6[Al6Si6O24]CaCO3.2H2O.