Inorganic Chemistry, Vol.50, No.9, 3907-3912, 2011
New Nickel Gallium Boride, B14Ga3Ni27: Synthesis and Crystal Structure
Crystals of the new compound B14Ga3Ni27 were successfully prepared by arc melting of the elements. B14Ga3Ni27 crystallizes as a novel structure type in the monoclinic space group P2(1)/m with unit cell parameters a = 8.6859(4) angstrom, b = 10.7477(4) angstrom, c = 8.8425(3) angstrom, beta = 90.707(4)degrees, and Z = 2. Its structure was solved from single crystal data and refined to R1 (F) = 0.0225. The unit cell of B14Ga3Ni27 contains boron dumbbells and isolated gallium atoms embedded in a nickel 3D-framework. Its electronic structure, calculated by DFT methods, indicates metallic properties.