Silver(I) trimercury(II) antimonate(V), AgHg3SbO6.

Single crystals of AgHg3SbO6 were obtained from solid-state synthesis at elevated oxygen pressures. The structure exhibits a variation of the K4CdCl6 structure type. Chains of face-sharing SbO6 and elongated AgO6 octahedra run along [001], and these chains are connected by linearly coordinated Hg atoms. The occurrence of AgO6 octahedra instead of trigonal prisms, and of O-Hg-O dumbbells instead of irregular eight-coordinated oxygen polyhedra, distinguishes the new compound from the known analogues of this type of structure. The heavy atoms are located on special positions; Ag is at a site with 32 symmetry, Sb at a site with -3 symmetry and Hg at a site with twofold symmetry.