Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 16, 2026

Molten-Salt Synthesis of Complex Metal Oxide Nanoparticles
Published on: October 27, 2018
The alluaudite-type crystal structures of Na2(Fe/Co)2Co(VO4)3 and Ag2(Fe/Co)2Co(VO4)3
Mohammed Hadouchi1, Abderrazzak Assani1, Mohamed Saadi1
1Laboratoire de Chimie du Solide Appliquée, Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed V University in Rabat, Avenue Ibn Battouta, BP 1014, Rabat, Morocco.
Abstract:
Single crystals of the title compounds, disodium di(cobalt/iron) cobalt tris-(orthovanadate), Na2(Fe/Co)2Co(VO4)3, and disilver di(cobalt/iron) cobalt tris-(orthovanadate), Ag2(Fe/Co)2Co(VO4)3, were grown from a melt consisting of stoichiometric mixtures of three metallic cation precursors and vanadium pentoxide. The difficulty to distinguish between cobalt and iron by using X-ray diffraction alone forced us to explore several models, assuming an oxidation state of +II for Co and +III for Fe and a partial cationic disorder in the Wyckoff site 8f containing a mixture of Co and Fe with a statistical distribution for the Na compound and an occupancy ratio of 0.4875:0.5125 (Co:Fe) for the Ag compound. The alluaudite-type structure is made up from [10-1] chains of [(Co,Fe)2O10] double octa-hedra linked by highly distorted [CoO6] octa-hedra via a common edge. The chains are linked through VO4 tetra-hedra, forming polyhedral sheets perpendicular to [010]. The stacking of the sheets defines two types of channels parallel to [001] where the Na(+) cations (both with full occupancy) or Ag(+) cations (one with occupancy 0.97) are located.
More Related Videos
09:16X-ray Powder Diffraction in Conservation Science: Towards Routine Crystal Structure Determination of Corrosion Products on Heritage Art Objects
Published on: June 8, 2016
08:55Methods of Ex Situ and In Situ Investigations of Structural Transformations: The Case of Crystallization of Metallic Glasses
Published on: June 7, 2018
Related Concept Videos
Ionic Crystal Structures
Most monatomic ions behave as charged spheres, and their attraction for ions of opposite charge is the same in every direction. Consequently, stable structures for ionic compounds result (1) when ions of one charge are surrounded by as many ions as possible of the opposite...
Crystal Field Theory - Octahedral Complexes
To explain the observed behavior of transition metal complexes (such as colors), a model involving electrostatic interactions between the electrons from the ligands and the electrons in the unhybridized d orbitals of the central metal atom has been developed. This electrostatic model is crystal field theory (CFT). It helps to understand, interpret, and predict the colors, magnetic behavior, and some structures of coordination compounds of transition metals.
CFT focuses on...
Determination of Crystal Structures
Imperfections in Crystal Structure: Non-Stoichiometric Defects
Crystal Field Theory - Tetrahedral and Square Planar Complexes
Crystal field theory (CFT) is applicable to molecules in geometries other than octahedral. In octahedral complexes, the lobes of the dx2−y2 and dz2 orbitals point directly at the ligands. For tetrahedral complexes, the d orbitals remain in place, but with only four ligands located between the axes. None of the orbitals points directly at the tetrahedral ligands. However, the dx2−y2 and dz2 orbitals (along the Cartesian axes) overlap with the ligands less than the dxy,...
Imperfections in Crystal Structure: Stoichiometric Point Defects