Synthesis and crystal structure of Zr3Te

Zr3Te was prepared by are-melting a compressed mixture of ZrTe2 and zirconium and annealing of the sample at 1650 K in a sealed tantalum ampoule. The structure was determined by means of X-ray powder diffractometry and confirmed by a single-crystal structure analysis: a = 1132.7(1) pm, c = 563.64(7) pm, I-4, Z = 4, tI32, 1638 reflections, 38 variables, R(F) = 0.022. Zr3Te adopts a Ni3P-type structure. The structure comprises tetrakaidecahedral Zr9Te clusters sharing two faces, five edges and four vertices with other units of the same type. The specific orientation of the clusters affords a structure in which nearly all atoms are tetrahedrally close-packed.