Crystal structure of Dy11Ge4.33In5.67 and Tm11Ge4In6 from X-ray single-crystal and powder data

Abstract Single crystals of Dy 11 Ge 4.33 In 5.67 were grown from a sample of the starting composition Dy 55 Ge 20 In 25 by arc-melting and subsequent annealing. Dy 11 Ge 4.33 In 5.67 crystallizes with the Sm 11 Ge 4 In 6 -type structure, space group I 4/ mmm, which was refined from single-crystal X-ray diffractometer data: a = 11.4329(16), c = 16.168(3) Å, w R 2 = 0.0341, 927 F 2 values and 42 refined parameters. The isotypic compound Tm 11 Ge 4 In 6 was characterized by X-ray powder diffraction: a = 11.262(2), c = 15.979(3) Å, R Bragg = 3.53%. The Sm 11 Ge 4 In 6 -type structure is a coloring variant of the Ho 11 Ge 10 type, realized through germanium-indium ordering. The p -element substructure has four crystallographically independent sites: isolated germanium atoms (Ge 4− Zintl anions), In 4 squares and In/Ge–In/Ge dumb-bells with pronounced Ge/In mixing.