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Z. Naturforsch. 2012, 67b, 1225 – 1228
doi:10.5560/ZNB.2012-0227
Copper-rich Intermetallic Compounds RECu9Cd2(RE = La, Ce, Pr, Nd) with YNi9In2-type Structure
Michael Johnscher and Rainer Pöttgen
Institut für Anorganische und Analytische Chemie, Universität Münster, Corrensstrasse 30, D-48149 Münster, Germany
Reprint requests to R. Pöttgen. E-mail: pottgen@uni-muenster.de
Received August 27, 2012 / published online November 12, 2012
The YNi9In2-type copper-rich compounds RECu9Cd2 (RE = La, Ce, Pr, Nd) were synthesized directly from the elements in sealed niobium ampoules in an induction furnace and were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction. The structure of PrCu9Cd2 was refined from single-crystal X-ray diffractometer data: P4/mbm, a = 849.0(3), c = 498.2(3) pm, wR2 = 0.0418, 374 F2 values, 23 variables. The structure has two striking polyhedral motifs: Pr@Cu16Cd4 and Cu2@Cu8Cd4. The packing of these polyhedra describes the whole structure. The copper and cadmium atoms build up a three-dimensional [Cu9Cd2] network with broader ranges of Cu–Cu (246–274 pm) and Cu–Cd (272–288 pm) distances. The cadmium atoms show segregation through pair formation with Cd–Cd distances of 288 pm.
Key words: Cadmium, Transition Metal-rich Intermetallics, Crystal Chemistry
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