Na

The first representative of a novel class of mixed‐anionic compounds, the sulfate hydride Na3SO4H, and the corresponding deuteride Na3SO4D were obtained from the solid‐state reaction of NaH or NaD with dry Na2SO4. Precise reaction control is required, because too harsh conditions lead to the reduction of sulfate to sulfide. A combined X‐ray and neutron diffraction study revealed that the compound crystallizes in the tetragonal space group P4/nmm with the lattice parameters a=7.0034(2) Å and c=4.8569(2) Å. The sole presence of hydride and absence of hydroxide ions is proven by vibrational spectroscopy and comparison with spectra predicted from quantum chemical calculations. 1H and 23Na MAS NMR spectra are consistent with the structure of Na3SO4H: a single 1H peak at 2.9 ppm is observed, while two peaks at 15.0 and 6.2 ppm for the inequivalent 23Na sites are observed. Elemental analysis and quantum chemical calculations further support these results.
The novel sulfate hydride—the first representative of a new compound class—has been prepared by precise reaction control. A number of different methods, including neutron and X‐ray powder diffraction, solid state MAS NMR, vibrational spectroscopy, and density functional calculations, were applied.