Abstract

The europium copper oxyselenide EuCuOSe has been prepared by reacting Eu, CuO and Se in the ratio 1:1:1 at 1123 K for a period of 10 days in sealed quartz ampoule. The structure has been determined by single-crystal X-ray methods. The compound crystallizes tetragonal in the space group P4/nmm (no. 129) with two formula units in the cell with dimensions a = 393.65(8) pm and c = 871.80(17) pm. The structure is composed of ∞ 2{ [ (E u3 +) (O2 -)4 / 4 (S e2 -)4 / 4 ]- } double layers separated by copper atoms, which are tetrahedrally coordinated to Se2- anions. According to the resistivity measurements, EuCuOSe is a semiconductor. The magnetic susceptibility data shows the typical non-Curie-Weiss behavior of the 7FJ states of Eu in the 4f6 configuration. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.