KAUTE, SYNTHESIS AND STRUCTURE OF PRIMARY ALKALINE METAL GOLD TELLURIDE

The ternary telluride KAuTe can be synthesized by a fusion reaction of the elements at 550 °C in a quartz ampoule. X-ray investigations on a single crystal revealed the arrangement of a filled up nickel arsenide type. Gold and tellurium form plain layers of hexagons with the coordination number three respectively (space group P63/mmc; Z = 2; R factor = 0.026). The Au-Te distance is shorter than the Ag-Te distance in the isostructural KAgTe, obviously a relativistic effect. © 1990.