Crystal chemistry of the BaNbS system: A layer structure of approximate composition Ba2NbS4(S2)0.5

Black platy crystals from the product of a reaction mixture of 6BaS : 3Nb : 7S reacted at 1000°C were hexagonal with a = 6.909(4) Å, c = 49.25(2) Å, $\text{P6}{}_3\text{mmc}\text{, Z = 10}$. A pronounced subcell with a = 6.91Å, c = 5.5 Å indicated that this was a layer structure consisting of stacking of close-packed BaS₃ layers. Three dimensional X-ray diffraction data were collected from a single crystal using monochromatized MoKα radiation. From the 1535 measured reflections, 782 unique structure amplitudes were obtained of which 608 greater than 2σ(F) were used to solve the structure. The final R = 0.1065, ωR = 0.0793; for 91 reflections with l = 9n, R = 0.0397 and for the 517 reflections l ≠ 9n, R = 0.138. The structure is based on the stacking of close-packed BaS₃ layers with the sequence CBDBABDBC BCDCACDCB, where D designates a disordered layer. The disordered layers contain two crystallographically independent Ba with partial site occupancies and disordered S₂ and S ions. Nb occupy octahedral interstices and form two different arrangements; a unit consisting of 3 face-sharing octahedra and a unit of 2 face-sharing octahedra. These octahedral units are separated by the disordered layers. The NbNb distances in the chain of 3 are 3.29 Å and they are 3.57 Å in the double unit.