La4N2S3: Ein neues Nitridsulfid des Lanthans mit beispielloser Kristallstruktur

La₄N₂S₃: A New Nitride Sulfide of Lanthanum with Unprecedented Crystal Structure The oxidation of lanthanum powder with sulfur and cesium azide (CsN₃) in the presence of lanthanum tribromide (LaBr₃) yields lanthanum nitride sulfide with the composition La₄N₂S₃ when appropriate molar ratios of the reactants are used. Additional cesium bromide (CsBr) as a flux secures fast reactions (7 d) at 900 °C in evacuated silica tubes as well as the formation of almost black single crystals. The orthorhombic crystal structure (Pnnm, Z = 2) was determined from single crystal X‐ray diffraction data (a = 641.98(4), b = 1581.42(9), c = 409.87(3) pm). Two crystallographically different La³⁺ cations are present, La1 resides in sixfold coordination of two N^3? and four S^2? anions forming a trigonal prism and La2 is coordinated by two N^3? and five S^2? in the shape of a monocapped trigonal prism. However, the main feature of the crystal structure comprises N^3?‐centred (La³⁺)₄ tetrahedra which arrange as pairs [N₂La₆]¹²⁺ of edge‐shared [NLa₄]⁹⁺ units and which are further connected via four vertices to form double chains . They get bundled along [001] like a hexagonal rod packing and are held together by two crystallographically different S^2? anions. Further motifs for the connectivity of [NM₄]⁹⁺ tetrahedra in crystal structures of nitride chalcogenides and halides of the rare‐earth elements (M = Sc, Y, La; Ce – Lu) with ratios of N : M = 1 : 2 are presented and discussed for comparison.