Iridium(III) stabilized in oxygen lattices with the perovskite structure Sr2Mlr III O6(M = Nb, Ta)

We have prepared Sr2MIrO6(M = Nb, Ta) with IrIII in the octahedral site of the perovskite lattice. These compounds are the first examples of the +3 oxidation state of iridium in an oxide system. Studies on their structures and magnetic properties suggest that IrIII is stabilized in the octahedral site with the low-spin electronic configuration (t2g)6(eg)0