Room-temperature single-crystal neutron diffraction studies are recorded for two alums, Cs( Rh /V)(SO4)2.12H2O [cubic, Pa3, a 12.357(5) ( Rh ), 12.434(1)Ǻ (V)], residuals 0.037 and 0.068 for 328 and 164 'observed' reflections, with the intention of defining water molecule hydrogen atom orientations. Whereas the two tervalent hexaaqua cations are similar in size [ rM -O = 2.010(6)Ǻ (M = V) and 2.006(2)Ǻ (M = Rh )] the vanadium salt adopts the β alum modification while rhodium gives an α alum. Significantly, the water coordination geometry is different in the two cases with the tilt angle between the plane of the water molecule and the M-O bond vector being 1° (M = V) and 35° (M = Rh ). The tilt angle for water coordinated to rhodium in CsRh (SeO4)2.12H2O is inferred from the unit cell dimensions to be similar to that of the corresponding sulfate salt and not that which generally pertains for caesium selenate alums. Significant differences in the H-O-H bond angle are found for trigonal planar and trigonal pyramidal water coordination, suggesting that differences in the metal(III)-water interaction are a determinant of the geometry of the coordinated water molecule in the caesium sulfate/ selenate alum lattices.
