Platinum-Germanium Ordering in the Germanides REPtGe with the Heavy Rare Earth Elements

Abstract

The equiatomic germanides REPtGe with the heavy rare earth elements (RE) have been reinvestigated with respect to platinum-germanium ordering. The compounds were prepared by arc-melting of the elements followed by annealing for two weeks at 1070 K. The REPtGe germanides crystallize with the TiNiSi-type structure, space group Pnma. The structures of ErPtGe (a = 692.01(5), b = 432.03(4), c = 753.19(5) pm, wR2 = 0.0523, 435 F2, 20 variables) and the new germanide LuPtGe (a = 683.1(1), b = 429.2(1), c = 750.3(1) pm, wR2 = 0.0696, 358 F2, 20 variables) have been refined from single crystal diffractometer data. These structures exhibit three-dimensional [PtGe] networks with strong Pt-Ge intra- (251 - 255 pm in LuPtGe) and weaker interlayer (272 pm in LuPtGe) interactions. The crystal chemical peculiarities of the whole REPtGe series are briefly discussed.