The crystal structure of a new CdTe2O5 polymorph, isotypic with ∊-CaTe2O5

Abstract

Single crystals of cadmium pentaoxidoditellurate(IV), CdTe2O5, were obtained as by-products in a hydrothermal reaction of Cd(NO3)2·4H2O, TeO2, H6TeO6 and NH3 (molar ratios 2:1:1:6) at 483 K for seven days. The crystals represent a different polymorph (henceforth referred to as the β-form) than the α-CdTe2O5 crystals grown from the melt, and are isotypic with hydrothermally grown ∊-CaTe2O5. The asymmetric unit of β-CdTe2O5 comprises one Cd, two Te and five O sites, all of which are located in general positions (Wyckoff position 4 e). The cadmium(II) atom is coordinated by seven oxygen atoms, forming 2 ∞[CdO6/2O1/1] (100) layers. Both tellurium sites are surrounded by four oxygen atoms with one of them being at a significantly longer distance than the other three. The resulting bisphenoidal [TeO4] units also form layers propagating parallel to (100) by sharing edges with each other. The stereochemically active 5s 2 lone pair of the TeIV atoms leads to the formation of large channels extending along [011] and smaller ones along [010]. A quantitative comparison between the crystal structures of β-CdTe2O5 and ∊-CaTe2O5 is made.