Synthesis and structure of the ternary and quaternary strontium nitride halides, Sr2N(X, X′) (X, X′=Cl, Br, I)

A number of new, layered nitride mixed halides have been synthesised in the quaternary phase systems Sr–N–Cl–Br and Sr–N–Br–I. The variation in structure with composition has been investigated by powder X-ray and powder neutron diffraction techniques and the structure of strontium nitride iodide, Sr2NI, has been determined for the first time (rhombohedral space group R-3m, image, image, image). A continuous solid solution exists between Sr2NCl and Sr2NBr with intermediate compounds adopting the same anti-α-NaFeO2 structure (rhombohedral space group R-3m) as the ternary end members. A similar smooth and linear relationship between structure and composition is seen from Sr2NBr to Sr2NI and hence cubic close packing of metal–nitrogen layers is adopted regardless of halide, X (X′). While nitride and halide anions occupy distinct crystallographic sites, there is no ordering of the halides in the quaternary materials irrespective of stoichiometry or temperature (between 3 and 673 K).