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The structural characterization of the new iron-zinc hepta-borate bromide with composition Fe(1.59)Zn(1.41)B(7)O(13)Br, prepared by chemical transport is reported. A rigid-body model with constrained generalized coordinates was defined in order to hold the positions of the B atoms at reasonable inter-atomic distances that typically would reach unacceptable values because of the weak scattering power of boron. There are three independent sites for the B atoms of which two are tetra-hedrally coordinated. The bond-valence sum around the third B atom, located on a threefold rotation axis, was calculated considering two cases of coordination of boron with oxygens: trigonal-planar and tetrahedral. The contribution of the fourth O atom to the bond-valence sum was found to be only 0.06 v.u., indicating the presence of a very weak bond in the right position to have a distorted tetra-hedral coordination in favour of the trigonal-planar coordination for the third B atom. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) was used to determinate the Fe/Zn ratio.

Y(2)GeO(5) (yttrium germanium penta-oxide) was synthesized by solid-state reaction at 1443 K. The arrangement, which has monoclinic symmetry, is isostructural with Dy(2)GeO(5) and presents two independent sites for the Y atoms. Around these atoms there are distorted six-coordinated YO(6) octa-hedra and seven-coordinated YO(7) penta-gonal bipyramids. The YO(7) polyhedra are linked together, sharing their edges along a surface parallel to ab, forming a sheet. Each of these parallel sheets is inter-connected by means of GeO(4) tetra-hedra, sharing an edge (or vertex) on one side and a vertex (or edge) on the other adjacent side. Parallel sheets of YO(7) polyhedra are also inter-connected by undulating chains of YO(6) octa-hedra along the c axis. These octa-hedra are joined together, sharing a common edge, to form the chain and share edges with the YO(7) polyhedra of the sheets.

Y(0.76)Ho(0.24)FeGe(2)O(7) (yttrium holmium iron digermanate) was synthesized by solid-state reaction at 1573 K. This thortveitite-like compound presents a crystallographic group-subgroup isotranslational (klassengleiche) relation with some other pyrogermanates, such as FeInGe(2)O(7), In(1.08)Gd(0.92)Ge(2)O(7) and InYGe(2)O(7), which are configurationally isotypic with the Sc(2)Si(2)O(7) thortveitite structure first reported by Zachariasen [(1930 ▶). Z. Kristallogr.73, 1-6]. Holmium cations share with yttrium the 4f Wyckoff position at the center of a seven-coordinated pentagonal bipyramid, while Fe atoms also occupy one site with Wyckoff position 4f at the center of the octahedron. All these sites have the point symmetry C(1). Two types of Ge(2)O(7) diorthogroups with point symmetry C(1h) are present in the structure, each one of them defining a layer type which alternates with the other. These diorthogroups have their tetrahedral groups in an eclipsed conformation.

A well crystallized powder sample of sodium holmium orthosilicate oxyapatite, Na(2.27)Ho(7.73)(SiO(4))(6)O(0.72), was obtained after mechanical milling and thermal treatment at 1123 K. Crystal structure analysis was performed from the results of Rietveld refinement of the synchrotron diffraction data. As in other rare-earth orthosilicate apatites, sodium cations appear located sharing with holmium the 4f Wyckoff position at the center of a tricapped trigonal prism. In its turn, holmium almost fully occupies the 6h position at the center of a seven-coordinated penta-gonal bipyramid. A small quantity of Na atoms was found at this site. No vacancies are present in the two independent crystallographic sites available for Ho and Na atoms.