Structural and ¹²¹Sb Mössbauer Spectroscopic Investigations of the Antimonide Oxides REMnSbO (RE = La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd, Tb) and REZnSbO (RE = La, Ce, Pr)

Quaternary antimonide oxides REMnSbO (RE = La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm,Gd, Tb) and REZnSbO (RE = La, Ce, Pr) were synthesized from the RESb monoantimonides and MnO, respectively ZnO, in sealed tubes at 1170 K. Single crystals were obtained from NaCl/KCl salt fluxes. The ZrCuSiAs-type (space group P4/nmm) structures of LaMnSbO (a = 423.95(7), c = 955.5(27) pm, wR2 = 0.067, 247 F²), CeMnSbO (a = 420.8(1), c = 950.7(1) pm, wR2 = 0.097, 250 F²), SmMnSbO (a = 413.1(1), c = 942.3(1) pm, wR2 = 0.068, 330 F²), LaZnSbO (a = 422.67(6), c = 953.8(2) pm, wR2 = 0.052, 259 F²), and NdZnSbO (a = 415.9(1), c = 945.4(4) pm, wR2 = 0.109, 206 F²) were refined from single crystal X-ray diffractometer data. The structures consist of covalently bonded (RE³⁺O²⁻)⁺ and (T²⁺Sb³⁻)⁻ layers with weak ionic interlayer interactions. The oxygen and transition metal atoms both have tetrahedral coordination within the layers. ¹²¹Sb Mössbauer spectra of the REMnSbO and REZnSbO compounds show single antimony sites with isomer shifts close to −8 mm s⁻¹, in agreement with the antimonide character of these compounds. PrMnSbO and NdMnSbO show transferred hyperfine fields of 8 T at 4.2 K.