Refinement of the crystal structures of the La3Ta0.5Ga5.5O14 and La3Nb0.5Ga5.5O14 compounds

This paper reports on the results of accurate X-ray structural investigations of single crystals La₃Ta_0.5Ga_5.5O₁₄ (a = 8.2260(1) ?, c = 5.1207(1) ?, R/R _w = 1.09%/1.10%, 3868 unique reflections) and La₃Nb_0.5Ga_5.5O₁₄ (a = 8.2237(1) ?, c = 5.1247(1) ?, R/R _w = 1.02%/1.03%, 3735 unique reflections) (space group P321, Z = 1, sinϑ/λ|_max ≈ 1.34 ?⁻¹ for both compounds). Using sets of data with a large number of high-angle reflections makes it possible to reliably compare the crystal structures by applying statistical tests. The structural differences between the La₃Ta_0.5Ga_5.5O₁₄ and La₃Nb_0.5Ga_5.5O₁₄ crystals are weakly pronounced, which correlates with the closeness of their piezoelectric characteristics. Original Russian Text ? A.P. Dudka, B.V. Mill, Yu.V. Pisarevsky, 2009, published in Kristallografiya, 2009, Vol. 54, No. 4, pp. 599–607.