Characterization of the binary uranium and thorium tellurides U{sub 7}Te{sub 12} and Th{sub 7}Te{sub 12}

Journal Article · Mon Oct 05 04:00:00 EDT 1998 · Inorganic Chemistry

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/ic9802808· OSTI ID:321107

Tougait, O; Potel, M; Noeel, H ^[1]

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1. Univ. de Rennes 1 (France). Lab. de Chimie du Solide et Inorganique Moleculaire

Single crystals of U{sub 7}Te{sub 12} and Th{sub 7}Te{sub 12} were obtained by chemical vapor transport reactions in evacuated and sealed quartz tubes, starting from a slightly deficient tellurium stoichiometry and using iodine as the transporting agent in a temperature gradient of 1030--1000 C. Their crystal structures were solved in the noncentrosymmetric hexagonal space group. The cell constants are a = 12.312(1) {angstrom} and c = 4.260(1) {angstrom} for U{sub 7}Te{sub 12} and a = 12.300(2) {angstrom} and c = 4.566(1) {angstrom} for Th{sub 7}Te{sub 12}. The three nonequivalent actinoid (A = U, Th) atoms per unit cell, A(1), A(2), and A(3), occupy 1a, 3k, and 3j Wyckoff positions and the four nonequivalent tellurium atoms occupy two 3k and two 3j positions. All the actinoid atoms are centered in tricapped (A(1)) or bicapped (A(2), A(3)) tellurium trigonal prisms, which form infinite columns running along the [001] direction. The bicapped trigonal prisms around A(2) are linked also in both cases by edge-sharing, to form large distorted hexacapped trigonal prisms. U{sub 7}Te{sub 12} exhibits ferromagnetic ordering below 54 K and a semimetallic type conductivity.

• OSTI ID: 321107
• Journal Information: Inorganic Chemistry, Journal Name: Inorganic Chemistry Journal Issue: 20 Vol. 37; ISSN 0020-1669; ISSN INOCAJ
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
FERROMAGNETISM
THORIUM TELLURIDES
URANIUM TELLURIDES