Inorganic Chemistry, Vol.42, No.9, 3130-3135, 2003
Ce10Cl4Ga5 and Ln(3)ClGa(4) (Ln = La, Ce): Reduced halides or oxidized intermetallics?
The compounds Ce10Cl4Ga5 and Ln(3)ClGa(4) (Ln = La, Ce) were synthesized from stoichiometric mixtures of Ln, LnCl(3), and Ga under Ar atmosphere in sealed Ta ampules at 910-1020 degreesC for 25-26 days. Ce10Cl4Ga5 is isostructural to La10Cl4Ga5 (space group 14/mcm, No. 140) with lattice constants a = 7.9546(11) Angstrom, c = 31.793(6) Angstrom. Ln(3)ClGa(4) represents a new structural type, also in the space group 14/mcm, with a = 8.1955(8) and 8.1123(11) Angstrom, c = 11.363(2) and 11.229(2) Angstrom, respectively, for Ln = La and Ce. Ce10Cl4Ga5 features building blocks of Ga-centered Ce-6 trigonal prisms and distinctive two-dimensional intermetallic CuAl2 and U3Si2 type nets. Its electronic structure falls within the realm of reduced rare-earth halides. Ln(3)ClGa(4) also contains the intermetallic CuAl2 type nets, but the interstitials are inverted: The building blocks are Cl-centered Ln(6) octahedra. Its electronic structure is characterized by strong peripheral Ln-Ga bonding stabilizing the Ln(6)Cl octahedron which normally would have its Ln-Ln antibonding orbitals filled with electrons from interstitials beyond chalcogen. Magnetic susceptibility and conductivity measurements confirm the metallic nature of all three compounds.