Knowledge Bank

A number of crystalline complexes having the general formulae $MM\prime X4$ $M2M\prime X5$ and $M4MX6$ (where M is a suitable cation, $M\prime$ is antimony (lll) or bismuth (lll) and X is chlorine, bromine or iodine) have been studied by Raman and infrared spectroscopy. The site symmetry of the metalloid, where known, was used in analyzing the spectra. The information from this study was used in a study of the species present in halogen acid solution of Sb(lll) and Bi(lll). No evidence of tetrahalo species was obtained in solution nor evidence for species in which the halogen/metalloid ratio was greater than 6.