Acta Cryst. (2007). E63, i196  [ doi:10.1107/S1600536807057583 ]

Barium chromium oxide, Ba₃Cr₂O₈, as grown by the traveling solvent floating-zone technique

A. A. Aczel, H. A. Dabkowska, J. F. Britten, L. E. Harrington and G. M. Luke

Abstract: Large single crystals of the incongruently melting compound tribarium dichromium octaoxide, Ba₃Cr₂O₈, were grown by the traveling solvent floating-zone technique for the first time and characterized by X-ray diffraction at room temperature. The structure is composed of CrO₄^3- tetrahedra and Ba²⁺ ions. The chromium ions are found in the rare +5 valence state and form double-layered triangular lattices, which are stacked along the c axis with threefold periodicity. All atoms lie on special positions. One Ba, one O and the Cr atoms have site symmetry 3m, the other Ba atom has site symmetry m, and the other O atom has site symmetry m. Magnetic measurements suggest that this material is a spin dimer system with a spin-singlet ground state.

Online 21 November 2007

Copyright © International Union of Crystallography
IUCr Webmaster