Twisted [C2O5]2−-groups in Ba[C2O5] pyrocarbonate.

The inorganic pyrocarbonate salt Ba[C2O5] contains twisted pyrocarbonate anions ([C2O5]2−), an atomic arrangement previously not observed in other pyrocarbonates. This unexpected additional structural degree of freedom points towards an enlarged chemical variability in this novel group of compounds. Ba[C2O5] was synthesized in a laser-heated diamond anvil cell at 30(2) GPa by heating a mixture of Ba[CO3] + CO2 to ≈ 1500(200) K. Its crystal structure was solved from single crystal synchrotron X-ray diffraction data and confirmed by density functional theory-based calculations. The two planar [CO3]2−-groups of the [C2O5]2−-anion are strongly twisted around the bridging oxygen atom. Ba[C2O5] has been observed in the pressure range of 5–30 GPa, where its symmetry is P6/m with Z = 12. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]