Synthesis of Ce2Rh3Ge5 crystals from a bismuth flux

Abstract

The germanide Ce2Rh3Ge5 was synthesized from the elements in a bismuth flux, and the structure was refined from single-crystal X-ray diffractometer data: U2Co3Si5 type, Ibam, a = 1010:1(2), b = 1210:4(2), c = 599:1(1) pm, wR=0.0596, 760 structure factors, 31 variables. The rhodium and germanium atoms build up a three-dimensional [Rh3Ge5] network (242 - 269 pm Rh-Ge; 300 pm Rh-Rh; 266 pm Ge-Ge) in which the cerium atoms fill cavities. Each cerium atom has coordination number 17 by ten germanium (302 - 331 pm) and seven rhodium (320 - 355 pm) neighbors. The crystal-chemical relation of the Ce2Rh3Ge5 (≡ CeRh1:5Ge2:5) structure with that of CeRh2Ge2 (ThCr2Si2 type) is discussed. © 2013 Verlag der Zeitschrift für Naturforschung, Tübingen.