Thiosilicate der Selten‐Erd‐Elemente: III. KLa[SiS4] und RbLa[SiS4] – Ein struktureller Vergleich

Abstract

AbstractThiosilicates of the Rare‐Earth Elements: III. KLa[SiS4] and RbLa[SiS4] – A Structural ComparisonPale yellow, platelet shaped, air‐ and water resistant single crystals of KLa[SiS4] derived from the reaction of lanthanum (La) and sulfur (S) with silicon disulfide (SiS2) in a molar ratio of 2 : 3 : 1 with an excess of potassium chloride (KCl) as flux and source of potassium ions in evacuated silica ampoules at 850 °C within seven days. The analogous reaction utilizing a melt of rubidium chloride (RbCl) instead also leads to yellow comparable single crystals of RbLa[SiS4]. The potassium lanthanum thiosilicate crystallizes monoclinically with the space group P21/m (a = 653.34(6), b = 657.23(6), c = 867.02(8) pm, β = 107.496(9)°) and two formula units per unit cell, while the rubidium lanthanum thiosilicate has to be assigned orthorhombically with the space group Pnma (a = 1728.4(2), b = 667.23(6), c = 652.89(6) pm) and four formula units in its unit cell. In both compounds the La3+ cations are surrounded by 8+1 sulfide anions in the shape of tricapped trigonal prisms. The Rb+ cations in RbLa[SiS4] show a coordination number of 9+2 relative to the S2− anions, which form pentacapped trigonal prisms about Rb+. This coordination number, however, is apparently too high for the K+ cations in KLa[SiS4], so that they only exhibit a bicapped trigonal prismatic environment built up by eight S2− anions. The isolated thiosilicate tetrahedra [SiS4]4− of the rubidium compound are surrounded by La3+ both edge‐ and face‐capping, but terminal as well as edge‐ and face‐spanning by Rb+. In the potassium compound there is no change for the La3+ environment about the [SiS4]4− tetrahedra, but the K+ cations are only able to attach terminal and via edges. The whole structure is built up by anionic {La[SiS4]}− layers that are separated by the alkali metal cations. In direct comparison the two thiosilicate structures can be regarded as stacking variants.