Chain Lengths of Crystalline Polyphosphates

Calcium polyphosphates, [Ca(P03)2] , crystals grown in sodium ultraphosphate melts in the preparation of fibers, were grown in a manner similar to how [KPOaln is grown in melts of ultraphosphoric acid. These systems yield salts referred to as cross-linked Kunol s salts. Since potassium Kurrol s salts can be easily and quickly solubilized in water containing some diverse ions, such as sodium, potassium phosphates are much more easily studied. Potassium Kurrol s 

Several issues need to be addressed. Three of them are  

A better understanding of the variables controlling chain lengths of very long crystalline polyphosphate molecule-ions is needed. How important is melt composition to crystallizing, and what is the ratio of amorphous solids to crystalline solids when a portion of a melt is difficult or impossible to crystallize  

How do seed crystals function as templates when growing long-chain polyphosphates, and what type and size of phosphate segment delivers PO3 from a melt phase to a crystal surface during crystallization  

Let us approach question 1 first. Assume that when preparing cross-linked Kurrol s salt, all phosphoric oxide added to crystalline [KP03]n enters potassium Kurrol s salt as a cross-linking agent. Assume that all phosphate crystallizes to cross-linked Kurrofs salt. If these assumptions are true, cross-linked Kurrol s salt is an ultraphosphate and not a polyphosphate because the M2O-P2O5 must be less than unity. Moreover, there must be two different compounds present in a phase system exhibiting different X-ray patterns. 

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