Search

BaFexNi1–xO3 with end members of BaNiO3 (x = 0) and BaFeO3 (x = 1), which, respectively, adopt the 2H and 6H hexagonal perovskite structures, were synthesized, and their crystal structures were investigated. A new single phase, Ba4Fe3NiO12 (x = 0.75), that adopts the 12R perovskite structure with the space group R3m (a = 5.66564(7) A and c = 27.8416(3) A), was found to be stabilized. Mossbauer spectroscopy results and structure analysis using synchrotron and neutron powder diffraction data revealed that nominal Fe3+ occupies the corner-sharing octahedral site while the unusually high valence Fe4+ and Ni4+ occupy the face-sharing octahedral sites in the trimers, giving a charge formula of Ba4Fe3+Fe4+2Ni4+O11.5. The magnetic properties of the compound are also discussed.

A Sr analogue of Ca0.5Bi0.5FeO3, Sr0.5Bi0.5FeO3, containing unusually high valence Fe3.5+ ions was synthesized by using a high-pressure technique. It relieves the electronic instability due to the unusually high valence of Fe3.5+ by a single charge disproportionation (CD) transition (Fe3.5+ -> 0.75Fe(3+) + 0.25Fe(5+)) rather than the successive CD and intermetallic charge transfer (CT) transitions seen in Ca0.5Bi0.5FeO3. Conduction-band narrowing due to the significant bend in the Fe-O-Fe bond in the rhombohedral R (3) over barc crystal structure stabilized the charge-disproportionated state at low temperatures. Most importantly, Bi3+ ions in Sr0.5Bi0.5FeO3 do not act as countercations accepting oxygen holes as they do in Ca0.5Bi0.5FeO3, resulting in the absence of the intermetallic CT transition. The large cavity of the A-site Sr ions prevents the charge-transferred Bi5+ from being stabilized. In the charge-disproportionated state the nearest-neighbor Fe3+ spins align antiferromagnetically and one-fourth of the Fe3+ spins are randomly replaced by Fe5+ spins coupled ferromagnetically with the neighboring Fe3+ spins.

BaFe

A Sr analogue of Ca

Thiathiophthene (TTP), a planar molecule with two fused heterocyclic five-membered rings and an essentially linear S-S-S bond, is a molecule of great interest due to its unique chemical bondings. To elucidate the remarkable bonding nature, a combined experimental and theoretical study on the electron density distribution of 2,5-dimethyl-3,4-trimethylene-6a-TTP (1) is investigated based on a multipole model through high-resolution X-ray diffraction data experimentally and on the density functional calculations (DFT) theoretically. In addition, S K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) is measured to verify the chemical bonding concerning the sulfur atoms. The molecule can be firmly described as 10π electron with aromatic character among the eight atoms, S3C5, of the two fused five-membered rings plus three-center four-electron σ character along the S-S-S bond. Such bonding description is verified with the calculated XAS spectrum, where the pre-edge absorption for transitions from S 1s to π* and σ* are located. The three-center four-electron S-S-S σ bond makes the terminal S atoms richer in electron density than the central one.

A potential bridging triazole-based ligand, atrz (trans-4,4'-azo-1,2,4-triazole), is chosen to serve as building sticks and incorporated with a spin crossover metal center to form a metal organic framework. Coordination polymers of iron(II) with the formula [Fe(μ-atrz)(3)]X(2)·2H(2)O (where X = ClO(4)(-) (1·2H(2)O) and BF(4)(-) (2·2H(2)O)) in a 3D framework and [Fe(μ-atrz)(μ-pyz)(NCS)(2)]·4H(2)O (3·4H(2)O) in a 2D layer structure were synthesized and structurally characterized. The magnetic measurements of 1·2H(2)O and 2·2H(2)O reveal spin transitions near room temperature; that of 3 exhibits an abrupt spin transition at ~200 K with a wide thermal hysteresis, and the spin transition behavior of these polymers are apparently correlated with the water content of the sample. Crystal structures have been determined both at high spin and at low spin states for 1·2H(2)O, 2·2H(2)O, and 3·4H(2)O. Each iron(II) center in 1·2H(2)O and 2·2H(2)O is octahedrally coordinated with six μ-atrz ligands, which in turn links the other Fe center forming a strong three-dimensional (3D) network; counteranion and water molecules are located in the voids of the lattice. The FeN(6) octahedron of 3·4H(2)O is formed with two atrz, two pyrazine (pyz) ligands, and two NCS(-) ligands, where the ligands atrz and pyz are bridged between iron centers forming a 2D layer polymer. A zigzag chain of water molecules is found between the layers, and there is a distinct correlation between the thermal hysteresis with the amount of water molecules the exist in the crystal.