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Canfieldite, Ag

Two borophosphates, (NH4)1–2xM1+x(H2O)2(BP2O8)·yH2O with M = Mn (I) and Co (II), synthesized hydrothermally crystallize in enantiomorphous space groups P6522 and P6122 with a = 9.6559(3) and 9.501(3) A, c = 15.7939(6) and 15.582(4) A, and V = 1275.3(1) and 1218.2(8) A3 for I and II, respectively. Both compounds feature helical chains composed of vertex-sharing tetrahedral PO4 and BO4 groups that are connected through O atoms to transition-metal cations, Mn2+ and Co2+, respectively. For the two crystallographically distinct transition-metal cation sites present in the structure, this results in octahedral coordination with different degrees of distortion from the ideal symmetry. The crystal-field parameters, calculated from the corresponding absorption spectra, indicate that Mn2+ and Co2+ ions are located in a weak octahedral-like crystal field and suggest that the Co–ligand interactions are more covalent than the Mn–ligand ones. Luminescence measurements at room temperature reveal an orange emission that ...

Four complex intermetallic compounds BaAu(6±x)Ga(6±y) (x = 1, y = 0.9) (I), BaAu(6±x)Al(6±y) (x = 0.9, y = 0.6) (II), EuAu6.2Ga5.8 (III), and EuAu6.1Al5.9 (IV) have been synthesized, and their structures and homogeneity ranges have been determined by single crystal and powder X-ray diffraction. Whereas I and II originate from the NaZn13-type structure (cF104-112, Fm3̅c), III (tP52, P4/nbm) is derived from the tetragonal Ce2Ni17Si9-type, and IV (oP104, Pbcm) crystallizes in a new orthorhombic structure type. Both I and II feature formally anionic networks with completely mixed site occupation by Au and triel (Tr = Al, Ga) atoms, while a successive decrease of local symmetry from the parental structures of I and II to III and, ultimately, to IV correlates with increasing separation of Au and Tr on individual crystallographic sites. Density functional theory-based calculations were employed to determine the crystallographic site preferences of Au and the respective triel element to elucidate reasons for the atom distribution ("coloring scheme"). Chemical bonding analyses for two different "EuAu6Tr6" models reveal maximization of the number of heteroatomic Au-Tr bonds as the driving force for atom organization. The Fermi levels fall in broad pseudogaps for both models allowing some electronic flexibility. Spin-polarized band structure calculations on the "EuAu6Tr6" models hint to singlet ground states for europium and long-range magnetic coupling for both EuAu6.2Ga5.8 (III) and EuAu6.1Al5.9 (IV). This is substantiated by experimental evidence because both compounds show nearly identical magnetic behavior with ferromagnetic transitions at TC = 6 K and net magnetic moments of 7.35 μB/f.u. at 2 K. The effective moments of 8.3 μB/f.u., determined from Curie-Weiss fits, point to divalent oxidation states for europium in both III and IV.