Unusual Coexistence of Nickel(II) and Nickel(IV) in the Quadruple Perovskite Ba4Ni2Ir2O12 Containing Ir2NiO12 Mixed-Metal-Cation Trimers.

The crystal chemistry and magnetic properties of two hexagonal nickel(IV)-containing perovskites, Ba4Ni1.94Ir2.06O12 and BaNiO3, are reported. The 12R perovskite, Ba4Ni1.94Ir2.06O12, possesses an unexpected coexistence of nickel(II) and nickel(IV). This quadruple perovskite structure contains Ir2NiO12 mixed-metal-cation units in which direct metal-metal bonding between nickel(IV) and iridium(V) is inferred. X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements were conducted to confirm the simultaneous presence of nickel(II) and nickel(IV).