High- und Low-Spin-Verhalten des Ni3+ -Ions in oktaedrischer Koordination. (A) NiF-Polyeder

High and Low Spin Behaviour of Ni³⁺?Ions in Octahedral Coordination The compounds Cs₂NaNiF₆, Cs₂KNiF₆, Rb₂KNiF₆, K₃NiF₆, and Na₃NiF₆ were investigated by ligand field and EPR spectroscopy between 298 and 4,2 K. These fluorides ? with the exception of the first one – crystallise in the cubic elpasolite lattice or in distorted modifications of this structure type and contain the Ni³⁺ ions in the low spin configuration te. This configuration is stabilised versus the high spin alternative te by an appreciable Jahn-Teller splitting of the ²E_g-state of about 7000 cm^?1. The NiF₆-octahedra are tetragonally elongated, the distortion being dynamical at 298 K. In case of the cubic compound Rb₂KNiF₆ a transition to a tetragonal structure with c/a > 1 as a consequence of a ferrodistortive Jahn-Teller ordering is observed at lower temperatures. It is calculated from the anisotropic g-parameters, that the first excited quartet level ⁴A_2g(⁴T_1g ? te) has an energy which is about 1000 cm^?1 higher than that of the ²A_1g(²E_g ? te) groundstate. Spin-orbit interactions between the energetically neighboured ²A_1g(²E_g) and ⁴A_2g, ⁴E_g(⁴T_1g) states lead to third order contributions to the g-factors, which are very sensitive with respect to the doublet-quartet separation. In the hexagonal compound Cs₂NaNiF₆ finally, in which half of the Ni³⁺ ions occupy octahedral sites connected by common corners as in the other fluorides, while the other half is located in octahedral sites with common faces, high and low spin Ni³⁺ ions are found side by side. Obviously the latter half of these Ni³⁺ ions is geometrically restricted with respect to a Jahn-Teller distortion and hence the high spin configuration energetically favoured.