Reinvestigation and superstructure of La3.67[Fe(C2)3]

The lanthanum iron carbide La_3.67Fe(C₂)₃] was prepared from the elements by argon arc-melting followed by annealing. The crystal structure of the ternary phase was reported previously (space group P6₃/m with a=878.7(2) pm, and c=535.1(1) pm) A.M. Witte, W. Jeitschko, Z. Naturforsch. 51b (1996) 249-255]. In the present work the compound was reinvestigated by X-ray powder and single crystal diffraction, and was further characterized by metallographic methods and chemical analyses. Our diffraction data clearly reveal a superstructure with weak superstructure reflections in the space group P6₃/m with a=879.26(8) pm and c=1604.59(15) pm, thus tripling the previously reported subcell. The crystal structure (refinement to R1=0.044 and wR2=0.075 for 1387 unique reflections and 60 variables) contains Fe(C₂)₃ trigonal planar groups with the C₂ ligands bonded end-on to the Fe atoms. The C-C distance is typical for a double bond. La atoms as the least electronegative component surround the complex anions and form a framework of face-sharing tricapped trigonal prisms. The resulting hexagonal channels at 0, 0, z of the partial structure with chemical composition La₃FeC₆ are occupied by four additional La atoms per unit cell. These La atoms are fully ordered within a linear chain and display a Peierls-like distortion pattern. However, no long-range order in the a−b plane has been observed due to the random orientation of the chains. Because of the two different orientations which are possible for each chain the situation is similar to an Ising model on a triangular lattice.