RE 2B8O15 (RE = La, Pr, Nd) – syntheses of three new rare earth borates isotypic to Ce2B8O15

Abstract

Abstract The rare earth borates RE 2B8O15 (RE = La, Pr, Nd) were synthesized in a Walker-type multianvil apparatus under conditions of 5.5 GPa and 1100 °C. Starting from the corresponding rare earth oxides and boron oxide, the syntheses yielded crystalline products of all new compounds that allowed crystal structure analyses based on single-crystal X-ray diffraction data for La2B8O15 and Nd2B8O15. The compound Pr2B8O15 could be characterized via X-ray powder diffractometry. The results show that the new compounds crystallize isotypically to Ce2B8O15 in the monoclinic space group P2/c. The infrared spectra of RE 2B8O15 (RE = La, Pr, Nd) have also been studied.