A temperature-dependent powder diffraction study of chromium lanthanum nitrate, LaCr(NO3)6·12H2O

Abstract

The new phase LaCr(NO3)6·12H2O was synthesized from a nitric acid solution. The symmetry is trigonal with the parameters a=10.9564(4) Å and c=16.835(1) Å [V=1750.2(2) Å3, space group R-3]. The thermal decomposition, studied by temperature-dependent X-ray powder diffraction and thermogravimetry, gave successively the cubic phase LaCr(NO3)6·6H2O [a=12.301(1) Å, space group P213] and the chromate(V) LaCrO4. The reduction of LaCrO4 to LaCrO3 occurred at a temperature depending on the oxygen pressure in the reaction atmosphere.