Synthesis, structural and vibrational properties of microcrystalline β-RbSm(MoO4)2

Low-temperature rubidium samarium dimolybdate, beta-RbSm(MoO4)(2), microplates have been prepared by solid state synthesis at 723 K by 70 h and 893 K by 150 h. The crystal structure of beta-RbSm(MoO4)(2) has been first refined by the Rietveld method in the space group Pbcn with unit cell parameters a = 5.1431(2) angstrom, b=18.8195(7) angstrom, and c=8.1641(3) angstrom (R-B=4.82%). The crystal structure of beta-RbSm(MoO4)(2) consists of the layers of MoO4 tetrahedrons corner-sharing with SmO8 square antiprisms. About 20 narrow Raman lines have been observed in Raman spectra recorded for the beta-RbSm(MoO4)(2) powder sample. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.