Structural and Optical Properties of Struvite. Elucidating Structure of Infrared Spectrum in High Frequency Range.

Study of structure and optical properties of magnesium ammonium phosphate hexahydrate crystal known as struvite is presented. Experimentally determined infrared (IR) and ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectra are compared with the theoretical predictions of density functional methods. Examination of the interatomic bond lengths, Mulliken atomic charges, and binding energies of water in the magnesium hexahydrate cation, together with the analysis of the hydrogen bond pattern have allowed us to explain a special feature of the IR spectrum of struvite, a blueshift of the band corresponding to the O-H stretching mode. This mode has been assigned to a "dangling" hydroxyl group in one of the water molecules in magnesium hexahydrate. Using experimentally obtained UV-vis spectrum and performing Tauc plots analysis, optical bandgap of struvite has been narrowed to a range from 5.92 to 6.06 eV.