ON THE STRUCTURE AND MOSSBAUER-SPECTRA OF FERROUS NITROPRUSSIDE

Monoclinic ferrous nitroprusside trihydrate and its dehydration produc ts have Mossbauer spectra composed of two quadrupole doublets. The qua drupole splitting of the high-spin ferrous cation decreases stepwise a s the compound loses water up to the anhydrous state. Cubic ferrous ni troprusside has a complex Mossbauer spectrum with three quadrupole dou blets for high-spin ferrous cations, which are determined by the numbe r of water molecules in its environment. The Mossbauer parameters of l ow-spin ferrous cations in ferrous nitroprusside are practically indep endent of its hydration degree and crystalline structure.