A synthetic zinc tellurium oxochloride, Zn2(TeO3)Cl2

Single crystals of dizinc tellurium dichloride trioxide, Zn(2)(TeO(3))Cl(2), were synthesized via a transport reaction in sealed evacuated glass tubes. The compound has a layered structure in which the building units are [ZnO(4)Cl] square pyramids, distorted [ZnO(2)Cl(2)] tetrahedra and [TeO(3)E] tetrahedra (E is the 5s(2) lone pair of the Te(IV) atom), joined through shared edges and corners to form charge-neutral layers. Cl atoms and Te-atom lone pairs protrude from the surfaces of each layer towards adjacent layers, and the layers are held together by dispersion forces only. The compound is isostructural with the synthetic compound CuZn(TeO(3))Cl(2) and the mineral sophiite, Zn(2)(SeO(3))Cl(2).