Synthesis and characterization of the wide band-gap compound Pr2Te4O11

Single crystals of Pr2Te4O11 have been grown through the reaction of Pr6O11 and TeO2 in a CsCl flux at 1123 K. This compound, which is isostructural with Nd2Te4O11 and Ho2Te4O11, crystallizes in space group C2/c of the monoclinic system with four formula units in a cell of dimensions at 153 K of a = 12.6880(6) Angstrom, b =5.2361(3) Angstrom, c = 16.2920(8) Angstrom, beta = 106.052(1)degrees, and V = 1040.17(9) Angstrom(3). The three dimensional structure is made from the interconnection between (2)(infinity)[Pr2O1014-] and (2)(infinity)[Te4O116-] networks. Pr2Te4O11 is a Curie-Weiss paramagnetic with an effective magnetic moment of 3.59(2) mu(B). Optical diffuse reflectance spectroscopy shows typical 4f-4f optical transitions for Pr(III), in addition to a wide band gap of 3.65 eV. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.