Identfication of the zirconium sulfate species in highly acidic aqueous solutions by Raman spectroscopy

A report is presented on direct spectroscopic evidence for the structure of a strongly coordinated moiety in aqueous zirconium sulfate solution. All solutions reported were prepared from ZrCl4 aqueous solutions to which perchloric acid was added until the HClO4 concentration reached 2M. Sodium sulfate was used as the SOsub(4)sup(=) source. From the Raman spectra it is concluded that there exists a complex equilibrium in aqueous acid Zr(SO4)2 solutions; and that in highly acid solutions near pH = 0, the dominant species, at Zr concentrations near 0.38 M, is given by the empirical formula Zr(SO4)4-4. (U.K.)