Open Access

Walter Abriel, Ernst-Jürgen Zehnder

• From theoretical considerations a dynamically distorted octahedron as a result of vibronic coupling between the ground state and the first excited state should exist for 14 electron AX6E systems like TeX62- . A high symmetry crystal field yielding at least a center of symmetry for the Te position stabilizes this fluctuating structure, otherwise statical distortion will be observed. From X-ray diffraction experiments on antifluorite type compounds A2TeX6 (A = Rb. Cs: X = Cl, Br) the averaged structure (m3̅m symmetry) of the anions was found even at very low temperatures. The thermal parameters are not significantly different from those of similar SnX62 compounds. Distortions therefore are very small and are evident from FTIR spectroscopic meas­urements only. Here very broad T1u-deformation vibration bands are observed down to tempera­tures <10 K without splitting: Astatically distorted species could not be frozen out. In contrast to XeF6 for TeX62- the energy gap between the threefold, fourfold or sixfold minima of the potential surface (according to the symmetry of one component of the T1u-vibration) is very small and shifted to temperatures lower than reached with the devices used for these experiments.