T
he crystal structure of t
he late lant
hanoids'
catena-polyp
hosp
hates Ln(PO
3)
3 (Ln = Tb-Yb) is incommensuratelymodulated (Dy(PO
3)
3: space group
Cc(0
hars/beta2.gif" BORDER=0 ALIGN="middle">0)0;
Z = 4;
a = 1417.4(4),
b = 670.96(14),
c = 1009.5(3) pm;
hars/beta2.gif" BORDER=0 ALIGN="middle"> =127.62(2)
,
q = 0.364
b*; R
all = 0.057, wR
all = 0.071; 293 K) and consists of infinite c
hains of corner-s
haring PO
4tetra
hedra. T
he cations are coordinated 6-fold in an almost octa
hedral arrangement over t
he w
hole modulationperiod. All atoms comprise a sinoidal positional modulation. T
he basic structure can be derived from a fcc packingw
hic
h explains t
he pseudo-face-centering observed in t
he diffraction patterns. T
he crystal structure of Lu(PO
3)
3 isisotypic wit
h C-type p
hosp
hates (
Cc;
Z = 12;
a = 1397.2(1),
b = 2001.8(2),
c = 995.56(9) pm;
hars/beta2.gif" BORDER=0 ALIGN="middle"> = 127.351(6)
;R1 = 0.042, wR2 = 0.097, 293 K), and Gd(PO
3)
3 crystallizes in a new structure type (
I2/
a;
Z = 16;
a =2601.7(2),
b = 1351.1(1),
c = 1008.4(1) pm;
hars/beta2.gif" BORDER=0 ALIGN="middle"> = 119.311(6)
; R1 = 0.039, wR2 = 0.092; 293 K). Bot
h can bedescr
ibed in terms of superstructures of t
he basic structure unit cell of t
he incommensurate p
hases, and t
hus, aconsistent structural description of many polyp
hosp
hates is provided. Tb(PO
3)
3 was obtained as single p
hase adoptinga novel synt
hesis under reducing conditions. T
he absence of an inversion center in t
he incommensurate p
hasesand Lu(PO
3)
3 was proved by a SHG experiment. T
he v
ibrational spectra are also discussed.