Formation of zinc tetraammine difluoride and dinitrate and conversion to zinc oxide and zinc hydroxyfluoride under ambient conditions

[Display omitted] •Zinc salts form the corresponding tetraammines in ammonia-rich solutions.•Zinc tetraammine complexes are obtained in crystalline form from methanol solution.•Under high dilution in water zinc tetraammine ions deposit zinc oxide.•Zinc hydroxyfluoride deposits Zn(OH)F on wet surfaces. The zinc tetraammine complexes [Zn(NH3]4]F2 (ZAF) and [Zn(NH3]4](NO3)2 (ZAN) have been isolated from methanolic ammonia and characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. As determined from Raman data, the tetrahedral structure of the zinc tetraammine cation complex is sustained in solutions that contain high concentrations of ammonia. Dilution of ZAF or ZAN solutions in bulk water results in the deposition of ZnO as determined by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD). Lower dilution, as when aqueous ZAF is applied to wet surfaces, results in Zn(OH)F deposition as identified by XRD. These mineral products are readily obtained from zinc tetraammine solutions under ambient conditions and lend themselves to biomedical and materials applications.