Synthesis and Properties of Rb6Mn2O6

Rb₆Mn₂O₆ was prepared via the azide/nitrate route. Stoichiometric mixtures of the precursors (Mn₃O₄, RbN₃ and RbNO₃) were heated in a special regime up to 500 °C and annealed at this temperature for 75 h in silver crucibles. Single crystals have been grown by annealing a mixture with a slight excess of rubidium components at 450 °C for 500 h. According to the single crystal structure analysis, Rb₆Mn₂O₆ is isotypic to K₆Mn₂O₆, and crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2₁/c with a = 6.924(1) Å, b = 11.765(2) Å, c = 7.066(1) Å, β = 99.21(3)°, 2296 independent reflections, R₁ = 5.23 % (all data). Manganese is tetrahedrally coordinated and two tetrahedra are linked by sharing a common edge, forming a dimer Mn₂O₆]^6?. The magnetic behavior has been investigated.