High-pressure/high-temperature synthesis of Nd3B5O11(OH)2

The neodymium borate Nd3B5O11(OH)(2) was obtained from Nd2O3, B2O3, and H3BO3 by high-pressure/high-temperature synthesis at 13 GPa and 850 degrees C. Based on single-crystal diffraction data, a crystal structure in the orthorhombic space group Pnna (no. 52) with the unit cell parameters a=4.5128(1) & Aring;, b=13.3264(3) & Aring;, c=14.1882(4) & Aring;, and four formula units per cell was found. The crystal structure is built up by a framework of corner-sharing [BO4](5-) tetrahedra forming corrugated eight-, ten-, and fourteen-membered rings. Furthermore, the powder X-ray diffraction pattern and the infrared spectrum of the title compound are reported.