Synthesis and crystal structure of a new alkaline-earth metal chalcogenide: Barium ditelluride

During our exploration of kinetically stable solid state materials, we have discovered a new binary material, BaTe2, the first alkaline earth metal dichalcogenide prepared using flux growth technique. The crystal structure of BaTe2 was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction methods. It belongs to the tetragonal space group I4/mcm (No. 140) with lattice constants a = 7.181(1) A ̊, c = 8.898(2) A ̊, V = 458.8(1) A ̊3 and Z=4. The final residual index is converged to R=1.5%, wR2=3.5%. BaTe2 is a Zintl type compound isostructural to SrS2. Pairs of tellurium atoms form dimeric units (Te2)2- with a Te-Te separation of 2.7722(8) Å. The synthesis of BaTe2 at relatively low temperature has provided an alternative and convenient route for preparing new compounds in this category. © 1994.