Synthetic ferric sulfate trihydrate, Fe2(SO4)3·3H2O, a new ferric sulfate salt

Abstract
Ferric sulfate trihydrate has been synthesized at 403 K under hydrothermal conditions. The structure consists of quadruple chains of [Fe(2)(SO(4))(3)(H(2)O)(3)](0)(∞) parallel to [010]. Each quadruple chain is composed of equal proportions of FeO(4)(H(2)O)(2) octahedra and FeO(5)(H(2)O) octahedra sharing corners with SO(4) tetrahedra. The chains are joined to each other by hydrogen bonds. This compound is a new hydration state of Fe(2)(SO(4))(3)·nH(2)O; minerals with n = 0, 5, 7.25-7.75, 9 and 11 are found in nature.