Zharchikhite, AlF(OH)2: a novel structure type related to α‐PbO2

The crystal structure of zharchikhite, AlF(OH)2, from the Zharchikhinskoe deposit (Buryatia, Russia) is solved here using single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. The mineral is monoclinic, space group P21/c, a = 5.1788 (4), b = 7.8386 (4), c = 5.1624 (4) Å, β = 116.276 (10)°, V = 187.91 (3) Å3 and Z = 4. Zharchikhite demonstrates a novel structure type roughly related to the α‐PbO2 structure type and different from other compounds of the Al–F–OH system. The crystal structure of zharchikhite is based on the octahedral pseudoframework built from zigzag chains of edge‐sharing AlF2(OH)4 octahedra; adjacent chains are linked via F vertices and the pseudoframework contains wide channels. The crystal structure of zharchikhite, AlF(OH)2, is solved here. Zharchikhite exhibits a novel structure type roughly related to α‐PbO2 structure type.