A new oxynitride, LaZrO
2N, has been synthesized by the reaction of a highly reactiveX-ray amorphous La
2Zr
2O
7 precursor with flowing ammonia at between 900 and 1000
C.The white insulating material crystallizes in the GdFeO
3 distorted perovskite structure typewith orthorhombic space group
Pnma and with
a = 5.875 25(5) Å,
b = 8.250 31(7) Å,
c =5.810 08(5) Å, and
Z = 4, as determined by neutron powder diffraction. A detailed structuralanalysis of the isostructural NdTiO
2N is also reported:
Pnma, a = 5.5492(1) Å,
b = 7.8017(1) Å,
c = 5.529 01(9) Å, and
Z = 4. LaTiO
2N crystallizes in a different distorted perovskitestructure, which is triclinic, and consequently has two distinct Ti(O
4N
2) octahedra(LaTiO
2N:
I,
a = 5.6097(1) Å,
b = 7.8719(2) Å,
c = 5.5752(1) Å,
= 90.199(2)
,
= 90.154(3)
,
= 89.988(8)
,
Z = 4). Oxide and nitride ions are completely disordered in all threephases. The M(O,N)
6 octahedra (M = Ti, Zr) in these phases and a number of perovskitetitanates and zirconates become more regular as the tilting distortion of the octahedralframework becomes more pronounced, as a result of quenching of the second-order
Jahn-Teller distortion of the octahedra.