Wet chemical synthesis of iron pyrite and characterization by Mossbauer spectroscopy

Iron pyrite in powder form was synthesized by using FeCl3 and either thiourea or Na2S as the starting materials. Attempts were made to achieve pure pyrite phase through a simple wet chemical reaction in the liquid state followed by high temperature annealing in the argon atmosphere. The phase purity and the composition of the sample were determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive analysis of X-ray (EDAX), respectively. The phase purity and its intrinsic magnetic behavior were further clarified by Fe-57 Mossbauer spectroscopic investigations. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.