Na3.88Mo15Se19: a novel ternary reduced molybdenum selenide containing Mo6 and Mo9 clusters

Abstract

The structure of tetrasodium pentadecamolybdenum nonadecaselenide, Na3.88Mo15Se19, is isotypic with the In3+xMo15Se19 compounds [Grüttner et al. (1979). Acta Cryst. B35, 285–292]. It is characterized by two cluster units, Mo6Sei8Sea6 and Mo9Sei11Sea6 (where i represents inner and a apical atoms), that are present in a 1:1 ratio. The cluster units are centered at Wyckoff positions 2b and 2c and have point-group symmetry -3 and -6, respectively. The clusters are interconnected through additional Mo—Se bonds. In the title compound, the Na+ cations replace the trivalent as well as the monovalent indium atoms present in In3.9Mo15Se19. One Mo, one Se and one Na atom are situated on mirror planes, and two other Se atoms and one Na atom [occupancy 0.628 (14)] are situated on threefold rotation axes. The crystal studied was twinned by merohedry with refined components of 0.4216 (12) and 0.5784 (12).