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Title: Calcium Substitution in Rare‐earth Metal Germanides with the Gd 5 Si 4 Type Structure
Abstract

An extended series of rare‐earth metal calcium germanides have been synthesized and structurally characterized. The compounds have the general formulaRE5−xCaxGe4(1.5<x<3.6;RE=rare‐earth metal; Ce, Nd, Sm, Tb−Lu) and their structures have been established from single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction methods. They crystallize with the Gd5Si4‐type in the orthorhombic space groupPnma(No. 62;Z=4; Pearson symboloP36), where the germanium atoms are interconnected into two kinds of Ge2‐dimers, formally [Ge2]6−. These studies show that Ca can be successfully incorporated into the hostRE5Ge4structure, whereby trivalent rare‐earth metal atoms can be substituted by divalent calcium atoms. Rare‐earth metal and calcium atoms are arranged in distorted trigonal prisms and cubes, centered by either Ge or Ca atoms. On one of the metal sites, the substitution is preferential and in 9 out of the 10 refined structures, the Wyckoff site 4cis found almost exclusively occupied by Ca. On the other two metal sites the substitution patterns appear to be governed by the mismatch between the size of theRE3+and Ca2+ions. This work further demonstrates the ability for the Gd5Si4structure type to accommodate the substitution of a non‐magnetic element while maintaining the global structural integrity.

 
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Award ID(s):
1709813
NSF-PAR ID:
10369874
Author(s) / Creator(s):
 ;  
Publisher / Repository:
Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Zeitschrift für anorganische und allgemeine Chemie
Volume:
648
Issue:
15
ISSN:
0044-2313
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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