Synthesis and characterization of transition-metal Zintl phases: Cs24Nb2In12As18 and Cs13Nb2In6As10 with isolated complex anions.

The title compounds were prepared by direct reaction of the corresponding elements at high temperature. Their structures were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction (Cs24Nb2In12As18, triclinic, P1, Z=1, a=9.519(4), b=9.540(5), and c=25.16(1) A, alpha=86.87(4), beta=87.20(4), and gamma=63.81(4) degrees; Cs13Nb2In6As10, triclinic, P1, Z=1, a=9.5564(5), b=9.6288(5), and c=13.9071(7) A, alpha=83.7911(8), beta=80.2973(8), and gamma=64.9796(8) degrees). Cs24Nb2In12As18 and Cs13Nb2In6As10 contain isolated anions of [Nb2In12As18](24-) and [Nb2In6As10](13-), respectively. Each anion includes two cubane-like units made of one niobium, three indium, and four arsenic corners where a fifth arsenic atom completes the tetrahedral coordination at niobium, [(NbAs)In3As4]. In Cs13Nb2In6As10 these two units are connected via a direct In-In bond between two indium vertexes of the cubanes. In Cs24Nb2In12As18, on the other hand, the same two units are linked by a dimer made of semicubanes of [In3As4], i.e., a cubane with one missing vertex. Magnetic measurements show that Cs24Nb2In12As18 is diamagnetic, i.e., a d0 transition-metal Zintl phase, while Cs13Nb2In6As10 exhibits a Curie-Weiss behavior that corresponds to one unpaired electron.