Large single crystals of FeSnF6 . 6H(2)O were grown when aqueous hydro
fluoric solutions of SnF2 and FeF2 were allowed to evaporate in air. T
in-119 Mossbauer spectroscopy at ambient temperature shows a single li
ne at slightly negative isomer shift relative to CaSnO3 at room temper
ature (delta = -0.380(6) mm/s, Delta = 0). This is characteristic of t
etravalent tin octahedrally coordinated by fluorine. The X-ray crystal
structure shows that tin(IV) is coordinated by 6 fluorine atoms, and
Fe(II) by 6 water molecules. Both sites show a slight distortion from
octahedral symmetry: the six distances are equal (Sn-Fe = 1.941(3) Ang
strom and Fe-O = 2. 112(3) Angstrom), whereas there are two values of
angles (Fe-Sn-F = 90.4(1)degrees and 89.6(1)degrees; O-Fe-O = 91.1(1)d
egrees and 88.9(1)degrees). The material is an ionic compound [SnF6](2
-)[Fe(H2O)(6)](2+).