Synthesis and Structure of New Rare Earth Cadmium Tellurite Halides

Abstract Single crystals of novel rare earth–cadmium tellurite halides, [Ln12(TeO3)12][Cd6X24] (Ln = La, X = Cl (1); Ln = La, X= Br (2), and Ln = Pr, X = Br (3)), were obtained from melts. All three compounds are isostructural to layered tellurite halides [Ln12(TeO3)12][Cd6Cl24] (Ln = Sm, Eu), described earlier, and crystallize in space group P4/nbm with unit cell parameters a ~ 16 Å and c ~ 13 Å. Their crystal structures have been refined to Robs = 0.052, 0.047, and 0.049, respectively. Bromides adopting this structure have been synthesized for the first time. Crystal-chemical features and prospects for development are discussed for the family of rare earth chalcogenite halides containing [Ln11Mx(ChO3)12] rare earth–chalcogenite slabs.