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FT IR and FT Raman spectra of Ag3(PO2NH), (Compound 1), Na3(PO2NH)3 x H2O (Compound II), Na3(PO2NH)3 x 4H2O (Compound III), [C(NH2)3]3(PO2NH)3 x H2O (Compound IV) and (NH4)4(PO2NH)4 x 4H2O (Compound V) are recorded and analyzed on the basis of the anions, cations and water molecules present in each of them. The PO2NH- anion ring in compound I is distorted due to the influence of Ag+ cation. Wide variation in the hydrogen bond lengths in compound III is indicated by the splitting of the v2 and v3 modes of vibration of water molecules. The NH4 ion in compound V occupies lower site symmetry and exhibits hindered rotation in the lattice. The correlations between the symmetric and asymmetric stretching vibrations of P-N-P bridge and the P-N-P bond angle have also been discussed.

The yellow-orange oxonitridosilicate oxide Ce4[Si4O4N6]O was obtained by the reaction of cerium metal with Si(NH)2 and SiO2 in a radiofrequency furnace at 1560 degrees C. The crystal structure was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction (a = 1033.67(6) pm, P2,3, Z = 4, R1 = 0.0412, wR2 = 0.0678) and powder neutron diffraction. In the solid there are complex cations [Ce4O]10+ that are enveloped by a hyperbolical layer structure [Si4O4N6]10-. The layer is built up by corner-sharing SiON3 tetrahedra of Q3 type. The oxygen atoms of the SiON3 tetrahedra are terminally bound to Si, while all nitrogen atoms bridge two neighboring Si centres. The crystallographic differentiation of O and N was unequivocally possible by a careful evaluation of the single-crystal X-ray diffraction data combined with lattice-energy calculations by using the MAPLE concept (Madelung part of lattice energy). Furthermore the results were confirmed by the chemical analyses. Subsequently, the determined N/O distribution and their crystallographic ordering was proved by neutron powder diffraction. In accordance with the molar ratio Si:(O,N) = 2:5 the [Si4O4N6]10- network may be classified as a layer silicate. In this specific case a hyperbolically corrugated topology of the layers is observed; this is correlated to periodic nodal surface (PNS) representatives.

Sodium dicyanamide NaC2N3 was found to undergo two phase transitions. According to thermal analysis and temperature-dependent X-ray powder diffractometry, the transition of alpha-NaC2N3 (1a) to beta-NaC2N3 (1b) occurs at 33 degrees C and is displacive. 1a crystallizes in the monoclinic system, space group P21/n (no. 14), with a = 647.7(1), b = 1494.8(3), c = 357.25(7) pm, beta = 93.496(1) degrees, and Z = 4. The structure was solved from powder diffraction data (Cu Kalpha1, T = 22 degrees C) using direct methods and it was refined by the Rietveld method. The final agreement factors were wRp = 0.072, Rp = 0.053, and RF = 0.074. 1b crystallizes in the orthorhombic system, space group Pbnm (no. 62), with a = 650.15(5), b = 1495.1(2), c = 360.50(3) pm, and Z = 4. The structure was refined by the Rietveld method using the atomic coordinates of 1a as starting values (Mo Kalpha1, T = 150 degrees C). The final agreement factors were wRp = 0.044, Rp = 0.034, RF = 0.140. The crystal structures of both polymorphs contain sheets of Na+ and N(CN)2- ions which are in la nearly and in 1b exactly coplanar. Above 340 degrees C, 1b trimerizes in the solid to Na3C6N9 (2). 2 crystallizes in the monoclinic system, space group P21/n (no. 14), with a = 1104.82(1), b = 2338.06(3), c = 351.616(3) pm, beta = 97.9132(9)degrees, and Z = 4. The structure was solved from synchrotron powder diffraction data (lambda = 59.733 pm) using direct methods and it was refined by the Rietveld method. The final agreement factors were wRp = 0.080, Rp = 0.059, and RF = 0.080. The compound contains Na+ and the planar tricyanomelaminate C6N9(3-). The phase transition from 1b to 2 is reconstructive. It occurs in the solid-state without involvement of other phases or intermediates. The crystal structures of 1b and 2 indicate that there is no preorientation of the N(CN)2- in the solid before their trimerization to C6N9(3-).

A significant breakthrough in the nitride chemistry of main group elements has been achieved: Surprisingly Sn(3)N(4), for which there had been no proof of existence until now, as well as the isotypic high-pressure polymorphs gamma-Si(3)N(4) and gamma-Ge(3)N(4) have been synthesized. All three compounds crystallize in a spinel structure type (see picture) that previously has not been found for nitrides, and may have a high relevance for practical applications in the context of ultrahard materials.

A rarity in solid-state chemistry is octahedrally coordinated silicon. Ce 16 Si 15 O 6 N 32 is the first nitridosilicate with this structural motif. Most oxosilicates containing octahedrally coordinated silicon are high-pressure phases. In contrast to that Ce 16 Si 15 O 6 N 32 has been synthesized under ambient pressure. An SiN 6 octahedron that is surrounded by two parallel rings formed from six Si(O,N) 4 tetrahedra is depicted., (© 1999 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH, Weinheim, Fed. Rep. of Germany.)

The novel nitridosilicate BaSi7 N10 was obtained by the reaction of barium metal with Si(NH)2 in a special high-frequency furnace at 1650 °C. The single-crystal structure determination (a = 687.29(3), b = 671.29(3), c = 963.28(4) pm, β = 106.269(3)°, PC, Z = 2, R1 = 0.0497, wR2 = 0.0924) reveals a network structure of connected SiN4 tetrahedra. BaSi7 N10 is the first nitridosilicate with both corner and edge-sharing SiN4 tetrahedra. Unlike the situation in normal oxosilicates, vertex-sharing of SiN4 tetrahedra is not exclusively favored over edge-sharing. With a Si:N molar ratio of 7:10, BaSi7 N10 is the most highly condensed multinary nitridosilicate known and has almost the same degree of condensation as binary Si3 N4 ., (Copyright © 1997 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)