Crystal structure of [Y6(μ6-O)(μ3-OH)8(H2O)24]I8·8H2O
The crystal structure of the title compound {systematic name: octa-μ3-hydroxido-μ6-oxido-hexakis[tetraaquayttrium(III)] octaiodide octahydrate}, is characterized by the presence of the centrosymmetric molecular entity [Y6(μ6-O)(μ3-OH)8(H2O)24]8+, in which the six Y3+cations are arranged octahedrally around a μ6-O atom at the centre of the cationic complex. Each of the eight faces of the Y6octahedron is capped by an μ3-OH group in the form of a distorted cube. In the hexanuclear entity, the Y3+cations are coordinated by the central μ6-O atom, the O atoms of four μ3-OH and of four water molecules. The resulting coordination sphere of the metal ions is a capped square-antiprism. The crystal packing is quite similar to that of the orthorhombic [Ln6(μ6-O)(μ3-OH)8(H2O)24]I8·8H2O structures withLn= La—Nd, Eu—Tb, Dy, except that the title compound exhibits a slight monoclinic distortion. The proximity of the cationic complexes and the lattice water molecules leads to the formation of a three-dimensional hydrogen-bonded network of medium strength.