[C(NH2)3]2S2O6: A SBBO-Like Dithionate Crystal with Large Optical Anisotropy

Investigating ultraviolet (UV) birefringent crystals is a focal point of research in recent years. The development of superior birefringent materials faces substantial challenges, primarily due to the need to pinpoint optimal fundamental building blocks and to perfect their geometric arrangement within the crystal lattice. By selecting a planar pi-conjugated [C(NH2)3] group and a staggered [S2O6] group, we have successfully synthesized an organic-inorganic hybrid crystal, [C(NH2)3]2S2O6. Similar to the famous inorganic crystal Sr2Be2B2O7 (SBBO), [C(NH2)3]2S2O6 exhibits a two-dimensional double-layered crystal structure connected by N-H<middle dot><middle dot><middle dot>O hydrogen bonding. Due to the ideal spatial arrangements of the planar pi-conjugated [C(NH2)3] group, this crystal displays a large birefringence (0.150 at 546 nm) among sulfate derivatives in the short-wave UV region. Meanwhile, [C(NH2)3]2S2O6 has a large band gap of 5.23 eV. This work indicates that the [S2O6] unit, acting as a direct structural motif, is beneficial for the discovery of UV birefringent crystals.