Synthesis and Structure of Ba12F19Cl5

A new member belonging to the binary phase diagram of BaF₂ and BaCl₂ was synthesized. The single domain crystals of Ba₁₂F₁₉Cl₅ can be prepared from a nonstoichiometric flux with molar ratio of 1 : 1 between BaFCl and BaF₂. The compound crystallizes at room temperature in the non-centrosymmetric hexagonal space group P6 2m with a = b = 1408.48(14) and c = 427.33(5) pm. Three different barium environements with coordination number of nine are found. The barium fluorine distances vary between 250.59(6) – a short distance compared to other Ba? F distances – and 302.7(1) pm and barium chlorine distances between 331.55(3) and 336.19(15) pm. This compound is further characterized using Raman spectroscopy.