A new member of ferrous sulfates, FeSO4·2H2O with PtS topology showing spin-canted long-range antiferromagnetic ordering

• Sanderite ferrous sulfate has been synthesized.
• The topology of its structure is similar to that of PtS.
• A structural relation between these hydrated ferrous sulfates is discovered.

A sanderite ferrous sulfate FeSO4·2H2O has been synthesized by the hydro/solvothermal method. Its crystal structure (Pccn, a=6.3160 Å, b=7.7550 Å, c=8.9880 Å, V=440.2 Å3, Z=4) can be regarded as the condensation of alternately corner-shared FeO4(H2O)2 octahedra and SO4 tetrahedra with a similar topology of PtS. By structural comparison with the known hydrated ferrous sulfates, the structural relation among them has been noted and discussed in detail. A variable temperature magnetic study shows a spin-canted long-range antiferromagnetic ordering in the low temperature regime, which might result from a possible phase transition during the cooling from the high temperature.

As a new number of ferrous sulfates, sanderite FeSO4·2H2O has been synthesized under hydro/solvothermal conditions, which exhibits a similar topology of PtS.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide