  The reaction of Sr2CuO3 with air and liquid water was studied to address the
origin of the reported variable Curie-Weiss impurity contribution to the
magnetic susceptibility X of this compound at low temperatures. Sr2CuO3 was
found to decompose upon exposure to either of these environments. The compound
Sr2Cu(OH)6 was identified as the primary reaction product. A pure sample of
Sr2Cu(OH)6 was then prepared separately. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR),
isothermal magnetization versus magnetic field M(H) and X versus temperature T
measurements demonstrate that Sr2Cu(OH)6 contains weakly interacting Cu+2
magnetic moments with spin S = 1/2 and average g-factor 2.133. From a fit of
X(T) by the Curie-Weiss law and of the M(H) isotherms by modified Brillouin
functions, the exchange interaction between adjacent Cu+2 spins was found to be
J/kB = -1.06(4)K, a weakly antiferromagnetic interaction. Our results indicate
that the previously reported, strongly sample-dependent, Curie-Weiss
contribution to X(T) of a polycrystalline Sr2CuO3 sample most likely arises
from exposing the sample to air, resulting in a variable amount of paramagnetic
Sr2Cu(OH)6 on the surface of the sample.
