Rietveld refinement of Y2GeO5

Y 2 GeO 5 (yttrium germanium penta­oxide) was synthesized by solid-state reaction at 1443 K. The arrangement, which has monoclinic symmetry, is isostructural with Dy 2 GeO 5 and presents two independent sites for the Y atoms. Around these atoms there are distorted six-coordinated YO 6 octa­hedra and seven-coordinated YO 7 penta­gonal bipyramids. The YO 7 polyhedra are linked together, sharing their edges along a surface parallel to ab , forming a sheet. Each of these parallel sheets is inter­connected by means of GeO 4 tetra­hedra, sharing an edge (or vertex) on one side and a vertex (or edge) on the other adjacent side. Parallel sheets of YO 7 polyhedra are also inter­connected by undulating chains of YO 6 octa­hedra along the c axis. These octa­hedra are joined together, sharing a common edge, to form the chain and share edges with the YO 7 polyhedra of the sheets.