Single-crystal structure refinement of YbF2 with a remark about YbH2

Abstract

Abstract Transparent-yellow single crystals of YbF2 were obtained as only crystalline product from the solid-state reaction of Yb and teflon designed to yield ‘Yb3C3F2’ in addition to some amorphous black material. The first single-crystal structure determination of YbF2 (cubic space group Fm3̅m, CaF2-type structure, a=559.46(16) pm; R1=1.2%, wR2=3.2%) was the starting point to compare isostructural binary fluorides MF2 and hydrides MH2 (M=Ca, Yb, Eu, Sr and Ba) exhibiting an as-yet unexplained small volume per formula unit for YbH2.