Influence of rare earth cation size on the crystal structure in rare earth silicates, Na2RESiO4(OH) (RE = Sc, Yb) and NaRESiO4 (RE = La, Yb)

•Na2RESiO4(OH) (RE = Yb, Sc) have been synthesized by the hydroflux method.•NaRESiO4 (RE = La, Yb) have been synthesized by fluoride flux growth.•Size effects of rare earth silicates are presented.

Crystals of Na2ScSiO4(OH) and Na2YbSiO4(OH) were synthesized at low temperatures using a sodium hydroxide based hydroflux, while crystals of NaLaSiO4 and NaYbSiO4 were grown at high temperatures using a sodium fluoride/sodium chloride eutectic flux. Both structure types were crystallized under reaction conditions that, when used for medium sized rare earths (RE = Pr, Nd, Sm – Tm) yield the Na5RE4X[SiO4]4 structure type, where X is OH in the hydroflux conditions and F in the eutectic flux conditions. Herein, we report the synthesis, structure, size effect, and magnetic properties of these compositions and introduce the new structure type of Na2RESiO4(OH), which crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pca21, of NaLaSiO4, which crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pna21, and of NaYbSiO4, which crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pnma, where both NaRESiO4 compounds have one silicon structural analog.

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