MgZn4(Co3O8)2 crystallizes in the triclinic P1 space group. Mg(1) is bonded to one O(13), one O(14), one O(4), one O(5), and one O(7) atom to form distorted MgO5 trigonal bipyramids that share  a cornercorner with one Co(5)O6 octahedra, corners with three equivalent Co(6)O6 octahedra,  an edgeedge with one Co(1)O6 octahedra,  an edgeedge with one Co(3)O6 octahedra, and  an edgeedge with one Co(4)O6 octahedra. The corner-sharing octahedral tilt angles range from 5-55°. There are six inequivalent Co sites. In the first Co site, Co(1) is bonded to one O(1), one O(11), one O(13), one O(15), one O(4), and one O(9) atom to form CoO6 octahedra that share corners with two equivalent Zn(3)O4 tetrahedra,  an edgeedge with one Zn(2)O6 octahedra, edges with two equivalent Co(3)O6 octahedra, edges with two equivalent Co(6)O6 octahedra, and  an edgeedge with one Mg(1)O5 trigonal bipyramid. In the second Co site, Co(2) is bonded in a 6-coordinate geometry to one O(10), one O(12), one O(14), one O(16), one O(2), and one O(3) atom. In the third Co site, Co(3) is bonded to one O(1), one O(11), one O(13), one O(15), one O(5), and one O(8) atom to form CoO6 octahedra that share corners with two equivalent Zn(3)O4 tetrahedra,  an edgeedge with one Zn(2)O6 octahedra, edges with two equivalent Co(1)O6 octahedra, edges with two equivalent Co(6)O6 octahedra, and  an edgeedge with one Mg(1)O5 trigonal bipyramid. In the fourth Co site, Co(4) is bonded to one O(12), one O(14), one O(16), one O(2), one O(6), and one O(7) atom to form distorted CoO6 octahedra that share corners with two equivalent Zn(2)O6 octahedra,  a cornercorner with one Zn(3)O4 tetrahedra, edges with two equivalent Co(5)O6 octahedra, and  an edgeedge with one Mg(1)O5 trigonal bipyramid. The corner-sharing octahedral tilt angles range from 50-57°. In the fifth Co site, Co(5) is bonded to one O(10), one O(12), one O(16), one O(3), one O(6), and one O(7) atom to form CoO6 octahedra that share corners with two equivalent Zn(2)O6 octahedra,  a cornercorner with one Zn(3)O4 tetrahedra,  a cornercorner with one Mg(1)O5 trigonal bipyramid, and edges with two equivalent Co(4)O6 octahedra. The corner-sharing octahedral tilt angles range from 46-48°. In the sixth Co site, Co(6) is bonded to one O(11), one O(13), one O(4), one O(5), one O(8), and one O(9) atom to form CoO6 octahedra that share corners with two equivalent Zn(3)O4 tetrahedra, corners with three equivalent Mg(1)O5 trigonal bipyramids,  an edgeedge with one Zn(2)O6 octahedra, edges with two equivalent Co(1)O6 octahedra, and edges with two equivalent Co(3)O6 octahedra. There are four inequivalent Zn sites. In the first Zn site, Zn(1) is bonded in a 4-coordinate geometry to one O(1), one O(10), one O(12), and one O(14) atom. In the second Zn site, Zn(2) is bonded to one O(15), one O(2), one O(3), one O(6), one O(8), and one O(9) atom to form ZnO6 octahedra that share corners with two equivalent Co(4)O6 octahedra, corners with two equivalent Co(5)O6 octahedra, corners with three equivalent Zn(3)O4 tetrahedra,  an edgeedge with one Co(1)O6 octahedra,  an edgeedge with one Co(3)O6 octahedra, and  an edgeedge with one Co(6)O6 octahedra. The corner-sharing octahedral tilt angles range from 46-57°. In the third Zn site, Zn(3) is bonded to one O(15), one O(16), one O(8), and one O(9) atom to form ZnO4 tetrahedra that share  a cornercorner with one Co(4)O6 octahedra,  a cornercorner with one Co(5)O6 octahedra, corners with two equivalent Co(1)O6 octahedra, corners with two equivalent Co(3)O6 octahedra, corners with two equivalent Co(6)O6 octahedra, and corners with three equivalent Zn(2)O6 octahedra. The corner-sharing octahedral tilt angles range from 55-64°. In the fourth Zn site, Zn(4) is bonded in a 4-coordinate geometry to one O(10), one O(14), one O(6), and one O(7) atom. There are sixteen inequivalent O sites. In the first O site, O(1) is bonded in a trigonal non-coplanar geometry to one Co(1), one Co(3), and one Zn(1) atom. In the second O site, O(2) is bonded in a distorted trigonal planar geometry to one Co(2), one Co(4), and one Zn(2) atom. In the third O site, O(3) is bonded in a distorted trigonal planar geometry to one Co(2), one Co(5), and one Zn(2) atom. In the fourth O site, O(4) is bonded in a T-shaped geometry to one Mg(1), one Co(1), and one Co(6) atom. In the fifth O site, O(5) is bonded in a T-shaped geometry to one Mg(1), one Co(3), and one Co(6) atom. In the sixth O site, O(6) is bonded to one Co(4), one Co(5), one Zn(2), and one Zn(4) atom to form distorted OZn2Co2 trigonal pyramids that share  a cornercorner with one O(15)Zn2Co2 tetrahedra,  a cornercorner with one O(8)Zn2Co2 tetrahedra,  a cornercorner with one O(9)Zn2Co2 tetrahedra, corners with two equivalent O(16)ZnCo3 tetrahedra, corners with three equivalent O(7)MgZnCo2 tetrahedra, and  an edgeedge with one O(10)Zn2Co2 tetrahedra. In the seventh O site, O(7) is bonded to one Mg(1), one Co(4), one Co(5), and one Zn(4) atom to form OMgZnCo2 tetrahedra that share corners with two equivalent O(10)Zn2Co2 tetrahedra, corners with three equivalent O(6)Zn2Co2 trigonal pyramids, and  an edgeedge with one O(16)ZnCo3 tetrahedra. In the eighth O site, O(8) is bonded to one Co(3), one Co(6), one Zn(2), and one Zn(3) atom to form OZn2Co2 tetrahedra that share  a cornercorner with one O(15)Zn2Co2 tetrahedra,  a cornercorner with one O(9)Zn2Co2 tetrahedra,  a cornercorner with one O(16)ZnCo3 tetrahedra,  a cornercorner with one O(6)Zn2Co2 trigonal pyramid,  an edgeedge with one O(15)Zn2Co2 tetrahedra, and  an edgeedge with one O(9)Zn2Co2 tetrahedra. In the ninth O site, O(9) is bonded to one Co(1), one Co(6), one Zn(2), and one Zn(3) atom to form distorted OZn2Co2 tetrahedra that share  a cornercorner with one O(15)Zn2Co2 tetrahedra,  a cornercorner with one O(8)Zn2Co2 tetrahedra,  a cornercorner with one O(16)ZnCo3 tetrahedra,  a cornercorner with one O(6)Zn2Co2 trigonal pyramid,  an edgeedge with one O(15)Zn2Co2 tetrahedra, and  an edgeedge with one O(8)Zn2Co2 tetrahedra. In the tenth O site, O(10) is bonded to one Co(2), one Co(5), one Zn(1), and one Zn(4) atom to form distorted OZn2Co2 tetrahedra that share corners with two equivalent O(7)MgZnCo2 tetrahedra,  an edgeedge with one O(16)ZnCo3 tetrahedra, and  an edgeedge with one O(6)Zn2Co2 trigonal pyramid. In the eleventh O site, O(11) is bonded in a distorted T-shaped geometry to one Co(1), one Co(3), and one Co(6) atom. In the twelfth O site, O(12) is bonded in a rectangular see-saw-like geometry to one Co(2), one Co(4), one Co(5), and one Zn(1) atom. In the thirteenth O site, O(13) is bonded in a rectangular see-saw-like geometry to one Mg(1), one Co(1), one Co(3), and one Co(6) atom. In the fourteenth O site, O(14) is bonded in a 5-coordinate geometry to one Mg(1), one Co(2), one Co(4), one Zn(1), and one Zn(4) atom. In the fifteenth O site, O(15) is bonded to one Co(1), one Co(3), one Zn(2), and one Zn(3) atom to form distorted OZn2Co2 tetrahedra that share  a cornercorner with one O(8)Zn2Co2 tetrahedra,  a cornercorner with one O(9)Zn2Co2 tetrahedra,  a cornercorner with one O(16)ZnCo3 tetrahedra,  a cornercorner with one O(6)Zn2Co2 trigonal pyramid,  an edgeedge with one O(8)Zn2Co2 tetrahedra, and  an edgeedge with one O(9)Zn2Co2 tetrahedra. In the sixteenth O site, O(16) is bonded to one Co(2), one Co(4), one Co(5), and one Zn(3) atom to form distorted OZnCo3 tetrahedra that share  a cornercorner with one O(15)Zn2Co2 tetrahedra,  a cornercorner with one O(8)Zn2Co2 tetrahedra,  a cornercorner with one O(9)Zn2Co2 tetrahedra, corners with two equivalent O(6)Zn2Co2 trigonal pyramids,  an edgeedge with one O(7)MgZnCo2 tetrahedra, and  an edgeedge with one O(10)Zn2Co2 tetrahedra.
MgZn4(Co3O8)2 crystallizes in the triclinic P1 space group. Mg(1) is bonded to one O(13), one O(14), one O(4), one O(5), and one O(7) atom to form distorted MgO5 trigonal bipyramids that share  a cornercorner with one Co(5)O6 octahedra, corners with three equivalent Co(6)O6 octahedra,  an edgeedge with one Co(1)O6 octahedra,  an edgeedge with one Co(3)O6 octahedra, and  an edgeedge with one Co(4)O6 octahedra. The corner-sharing octahedral tilt angles range from 5-55°. The Mg(1)-O(13) bond length is 2.12 Å. The Mg(1)-O(14) bond length is 2.04 Å. The Mg(1)-O(4) bond length is 2.09 Å. The Mg(1)-O(5) bond length is 2.04 Å. The Mg(1)-O(7) bond length is 2.03 Å. There are six inequivalent Co sites. In the first Co site, Co(1) is bonded to one O(1), one O(11), one O(13), one O(15), one O(4), and one O(9) atom to form CoO6 octahedra that share corners with two equivalent Zn(3)O4 tetrahedra,  an edgeedge with one Zn(2)O6 octahedra, edges with two equivalent Co(3)O6 octahedra, edges with two equivalent Co(6)O6 octahedra, and  an edgeedge with one Mg(1)O5 trigonal bipyramid. The Co(1)-O(1) bond length is 1.84 Å. The Co(1)-O(11) bond length is 1.92 Å. The Co(1)-O(13) bond length is 1.96 Å. The Co(1)-O(15) bond length is 1.92 Å. The Co(1)-O(4) bond length is 1.83 Å. The Co(1)-O(9) bond length is 1.92 Å. In the second Co site, Co(2) is bonded in a 6-coordinate geometry to one O(10), one O(12), one O(14), one O(16), one O(2), and one O(3) atom. The Co(2)-O(10) bond length is 1.98 Å. The Co(2)-O(12) bond length is 2.17 Å. The Co(2)-O(14) bond length is 2.39 Å. The Co(2)-O(16) bond length is 1.97 Å. The Co(2)-O(2) bond length is 1.93 Å. The Co(2)-O(3) bond length is 1.85 Å. In the third Co site, Co(3) is bonded to one O(1), one O(11), one O(13), one O(15), one O(5), and one O(8) atom to form CoO6 octahedra that share corners with two equivalent Zn(3)O4 tetrahedra,  an edgeedge with one Zn(2)O6 octahedra, edges with two equivalent Co(1)O6 octahedra, edges with two equivalent Co(6)O6 octahedra, and  an edgeedge with one Mg(1)O5 trigonal bipyramid. The Co(3)-O(1) bond length is 1.88 Å. The Co(3)-O(11) bond length is 1.90 Å. The Co(3)-O(13) bond length is 2.01 Å. The Co(3)-O(15) bond length is 1.91 Å. The Co(3)-O(5) bond length is 1.81 Å. The Co(3)-O(8) bond length is 1.93 Å. In the fourth Co site, Co(4) is bonded to one O(12), one O(14), one O(16), one O(2), one O(6), and one O(7) atom to form distorted CoO6 octahedra that share corners with two equivalent Zn(2)O6 octahedra,  a cornercorner with one Zn(3)O4 tetrahedra, edges with two equivalent Co(5)O6 octahedra, and  an edgeedge with one Mg(1)O5 trigonal bipyramid. The corner-sharing octahedral tilt angles range from 50-57°. The Co(4)-O(12) bond length is 2.01 Å. The Co(4)-O(14) bond length is 2.33 Å. The Co(4)-O(16) bond length is 2.01 Å. The Co(4)-O(2) bond length is 1.84 Å. The Co(4)-O(6) bond length is 1.93 Å. The Co(4)-O(7) bond length is 2.03 Å. In the fifth Co site, Co(5) is bonded to one O(10), one O(12), one O(16), one O(3), one O(6), and one O(7) atom to form CoO6 octahedra that share corners with two equivalent Zn(2)O6 octahedra,  a cornercorner with one Zn(3)O4 tetrahedra,  a cornercorner with one Mg(1)O5 trigonal bipyramid, and edges with two equivalent Co(4)O6 octahedra. The corner-sharing octahedral tilt angles range from 46-48°. The Co(5)-O(10) bond length is 1.97 Å. The Co(5)-O(12) bond length is 1.95 Å. The Co(5)-O(16) bond length is 1.95 Å. The Co(5)-O(3) bond length is 1.88 Å. The Co(5)-O(6) bond length is 1.87 Å. The Co(5)-O(7) bond length is 1.92 Å. In the sixth Co site, Co(6) is bonded to one O(11), one O(13), one O(4), one O(5), one O(8), and one O(9) atom to form CoO6 octahedra that share corners with two equivalent Zn(3)O4 tetrahedra, corners with three equivalent Mg(1)O5 trigonal bipyramids,  an edgeedge with one Zn(2)O6 octahedra, edges with two equivalent Co(1)O6 octahedra, and edges with two equivalent Co(3)O6 octahedra. The Co(6)-O(11) bond length is 2.03 Å. The Co(6)-O(13) bond length is 2.18 Å. The Co(6)-O(4) bond length is 1.85 Å. The Co(6)-O(5) bond length is 1.96 Å. The Co(6)-O(8) bond length is 2.04 Å. The Co(6)-O(9) bond length is 1.92 Å. There are four inequivalent Zn sites. In the first Zn site, Zn(1) is bonded in a 4-coordinate geometry to one O(1), one O(10), one O(12), and one O(14) atom. The Zn(1)-O(1) bond length is 1.88 Å. The Zn(1)-O(10) bond length is 2.31 Å. The Zn(1)-O(12) bond length is 1.94 Å. The Zn(1)-O(14) bond length is 1.97 Å. In the second Zn site, Zn(2) is bonded to one O(15), one O(2), one O(3), one O(6), one O(8), and one O(9) atom to form ZnO6 octahedra that share corners with two equivalent Co(4)O6 octahedra, corners with two equivalent Co(5)O6 octahedra, corners with three equivalent Zn(3)O4 tetrahedra,  an edgeedge with one Co(1)O6 octahedra,  an edgeedge with one Co(3)O6 octahedra, and  an edgeedge with one Co(6)O6 octahedra. The corner-sharing octahedral tilt angles range from 46-57°. The Zn(2)-O(15) bond length is 2.16 Å. The Zn(2)-O(2) bond length is 2.00 Å. The Zn(2)-O(3) bond length is 2.11 Å. The Zn(2)-O(6) bond length is 2.08 Å. The Zn(2)-O(8) bond length is 2.12 Å. The Zn(2)-O(9) bond length is 2.18 Å. In the third Zn site, Zn(3) is bonded to one O(15), one O(16), one O(8), and one O(9) atom to form ZnO4 tetrahedra that share  a cornercorner with one Co(4)O6 octahedra,  a cornercorner with one Co(5)O6 octahedra, corners with two equivalent Co(1)O6 octahedra, corners with two equivalent Co(3)O6 octahedra, corners with two equivalent Co(6)O6 octahedra, and corners with three equivalent Zn(2)O6 octahedra. The corner-sharing octahedral tilt angles range from 55-64°. The Zn(3)-O(15) bond length is 1.98 Å. The Zn(3)-O(16) bond length is 2.01 Å. The Zn(3)-O(8) bond length is 1.96 Å. The Zn(3)-O(9) bond length is 1.97 Å. In the fourth Zn site, Zn(4) is bonded in a 4-coordinate geometry to one O(10), one O(14), one O(6), and one O(7) atom. The Zn(4)-O(10) bond length is 1.89 Å. The Zn(4)-O(14) bond length is 1.88 Å. The Zn(4)-O(6) bond length is 2.46 Å. The Zn(4)-O(7) bond length is 1.94 Å. There are sixteen inequivalent O sites. In the first O site, O(1) is bonded in a trigonal non-coplanar geometry to one Co(1), one Co(3), and one Zn(1) atom. In the second O site, O(2) is bonded in a distorted trigonal planar geometry to one Co(2), one Co(4), and one Zn(2) atom. In the third O site, O(3) is bonded in a distorted trigonal planar geometry to one Co(2), one Co(5), and one Zn(2) atom. In the fourth O site, O(4) is bonded in a T-shaped geometry to one Mg(1), one Co(1), and one Co(6) atom. In the fifth O site, O(5) is bonded in a T-shaped geometry to one Mg(1), one Co(3), and one Co(6) atom. In the sixth O site, O(6) is bonded to one Co(4), one Co(5), one Zn(2), and one Zn(4) atom to form distorted OZn2Co2 trigonal pyramids that share  a cornercorner with one O(15)Zn2Co2 tetrahedra,  a cornercorner with one O(8)Zn2Co2 tetrahedra,  a cornercorner with one O(9)Zn2Co2 tetrahedra, corners with two equivalent O(16)ZnCo3 tetrahedra, corners with three equivalent O(7)MgZnCo2 tetrahedra, and  an edgeedge with one O(10)Zn2Co2 tetrahedra. In the seventh O site, O(7) is bonded to one Mg(1), one Co(4), one Co(5), and one Zn(4) atom to form OMgZnCo2 tetrahedra that share corners with two equivalent O(10)Zn2Co2 tetrahedra, corners with three equivalent O(6)Zn2Co2 trigonal pyramids, and  an edgeedge with one O(16)ZnCo3 tetrahedra. In the eighth O site, O(8) is bonded to one Co(3), one Co(6), one Zn(2), and one Zn(3) atom to form OZn2Co2 tetrahedra that share  a cornercorner with one O(15)Zn2Co2 tetrahedra,  a cornercorner with one O(9)Zn2Co2 tetrahedra,  a cornercorner with one O(16)ZnCo3 tetrahedra,  a cornercorner with one O(6)Zn2Co2 trigonal pyramid,  an edgeedge with one O(15)Zn2Co2 tetrahedra, and  an edgeedge with one O(9)Zn2Co2 tetrahedra. In the ninth O site, O(9) is bonded to one Co(1), one Co(6), one Zn(2), and one Zn(3) atom to form distorted OZn2Co2 tetrahedra that share  a cornercorner with one O(15)Zn2Co2 tetrahedra,  a cornercorner with one O(8)Zn2Co2 tetrahedra,  a cornercorner with one O(16)ZnCo3 tetrahedra,  a cornercorner with one O(6)Zn2Co2 trigonal pyramid,  an edgeedge with one O(15)Zn2Co2 tetrahedra, and  an edgeedge with one O(8)Zn2Co2 tetrahedra. In the tenth O site, O(10) is bonded to one Co(2), one Co(5), one Zn(1), and one Zn(4) atom to form distorted OZn2Co2 tetrahedra that share corners with two equivalent O(7)MgZnCo2 tetrahedra,  an edgeedge with one O(16)ZnCo3 tetrahedra, and  an edgeedge with one O(6)Zn2Co2 trigonal pyramid. In the eleventh O site, O(11) is bonded in a distorted T-shaped geometry to one Co(1), one Co(3), and one Co(6) atom. In the twelfth O site, O(12) is bonded in a rectangular see-saw-like geometry to one Co(2), one Co(4), one Co(5), and one Zn(1) atom. In the thirteenth O site, O(13) is bonded in a rectangular see-saw-like geometry to one Mg(1), one Co(1), one Co(3), and one Co(6) atom. In the fourteenth O site, O(14) is bonded in a 5-coordinate geometry to one Mg(1), one Co(2), one Co(4), one Zn(1), and one Zn(4) atom. In the fifteenth O site, O(15) is bonded to one Co(1), one Co(3), one Zn(2), and one Zn(3) atom to form distorted OZn2Co2 tetrahedra that share  a cornercorner with one O(8)Zn2Co2 tetrahedra,  a cornercorner with one O(9)Zn2Co2 tetrahedra,  a cornercorner with one O(16)ZnCo3 tetrahedra,  a cornercorner with one O(6)Zn2Co2 trigonal pyramid,  an edgeedge with one O(8)Zn2Co2 tetrahedra, and  an edgeedge with one O(9)Zn2Co2 tetrahedra. In the sixteenth O site, O(16) is bonded to one Co(2), one Co(4), one Co(5), and one Zn(3) atom to form distorted OZnCo3 tetrahedra that share  a cornercorner with one O(15)Zn2Co2 tetrahedra,  a cornercorner with one O(8)Zn2Co2 tetrahedra,  a cornercorner with one O(9)Zn2Co2 tetrahedra, corners with two equivalent O(6)Zn2Co2 trigonal pyramids,  an edgeedge with one O(7)MgZnCo2 tetrahedra, and  an edgeedge with one O(10)Zn2Co2 tetrahedra.