Ba8Cu16P30 – eine neue ternäre Variante des Clathrat I-Strukturtyps

Ba₈Cu₁₆P₃₀ – a New Ternary Variant of the Clathrate I Type Structure Ba₈Cu₁₆P₃₀ (a = 14.117(1) Å, b = 10.093(1) Å, c = 28.022(2) Å) was prepared by heating a mixture of the elements (800°C; excess of Ba and P; removal of the by-products by acetic acid/H₂O₂). The compound crystallizes orthorhombically (Pbcn; Z = 4) in a new superstructure of the cubic clathrate I type structure with an ordered distribution of the atoms. The structure is characterized by a three-dimensional framework of CuP₄ tetrahedra with cavities in the form of pentagonal dodecahedra and tetrakaidecahedra, which are occupied by the Ba atoms. The compound shows semiconduction, therefore the composition should be Ba₈Cu_15.5P_30.5.