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Updated: Aug 7, 2025

Combining Solid-state and Solution-based Techniques: Synthesis and Reactivity of ChalcogenidoplumbatesII or IV
Published on: December 29, 2016
Synthesis, crystal structures and semiconducting properties of new hexacyanidometallates
Xianji Qiao1, Yi Qiu1, Junjie Xin1
1College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China. junliang.sun@pku.edu.cn.
Abstract:
We describe the synthesis, crystal structure and semiconducting properties of a number of hexacyanidometallates with the formula A2[MFe(CN)6]·xH2O (A = Na, K; M = Mg, Ca, Sr and Ba). All crystal structures were studied via single-crystal or powder X-ray diffraction. The unexpectedly low-symmetric structures in these ferrocyanides are described and contrasted with analogous transition-metal compounds which have been reported to be strictly or nearly cubic. The amount of crystal water in the structure for powder samples was determined by the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), supported by IR and Raman spectroscopy. Electronic-structure calculations of K2[MgFe(CN)6] and K2[CaFe(CN)6] are compared with experimental UV-Vis measurements. The large band gaps by advanced theory indicate that the smaller experimental band gaps are due to surface effects of impurity states. Mott-Schottky curves of K2[MgFe(CN)6], K2[CaFe(CN)6] and K2[BaFe(CN)6]·3H2O exhibit positive slopes, which characterizes these compounds as n-type semiconductors.
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