Palladium-Cadmium Ordering In Repdcd (Re = La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb) And Comparison With Isotypic Indium Compounds

Ternary intermetallic compoundsREPdCd (RE=La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Tb)were synthesized by reaction of the elements in sealed tantalum tubes in a high-frequency furnace. All compounds were investigated by X-ray diffraction on powders. Those with RE = La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, and Tb contain trivalent rare earth metals and they crystallize with the hexagonal ZrNiAl type structure. NdPdCd [a = 764.8(3), c = 401.3(2) pm] and TbPdCd [a = 756.5(2), c = 389.0(1) pm] are reported here for the first time as well as EuPdCd. The compounds with La, Ce, Pr, and Sm [J. Alloys Compd. 182, 87 (1992)] are confirmed. The crystal structure of EuPdCd was refined from X-ray single crystal diffractometer data: TiNiSi type, Pnma, a = 745.9(3), b = 439.8(2), c = 863.7(3) pm, wR2 = 0.0405, 683 F2 values, and 20 variable parameters. The three-dimensional [PdCd] substructure consists of strongly puckered, orthorhombically distorted Pd3Cd3 hexagons with Pd-Cd distances ranging from 283 to 285 pm. The europium atoms fill the cavities within the [PdCd] network. Chemical bonding in the series REPdCd and REPdIn is compared.