Hydrothermal synthesis of [Ba3Cl2][Sn3O4(OH)8], a compound with alternating ionic and covalent layers

[Ba3Cl2][Sn3O4(OH)8] (1), is formed through hydrothermal synthesis in the BaCl2/SnCl4 system. 1 is orthorhombic, Pnma, a=7.836(2), b=18.350(4), c=10.258(2) Å, V=1475 Å3 and composed of alternating layers of covalent stannate and ionic barium chloride components. The ‘covalent’ layers consist of hydroxy stannate trimers [Sn3O4(OH)8], connected through μ3-O to other units forming puckered 2-D sheets. These sheets are then intercalated by the barium and chloride ions, which have a complex set of ionic contacts.