Preparation,Crystal Structure,and Magnetic Properties of Rare Earth Ruthenium and Osmium Carbides with La3.67FeC6 Type Structure

The new carbides Gd_3.67RuC₆ and Ln_3.67OsC₆ (Ln = La–Nd, Sm) were prepared by arc‐melting of cold‐pressed pellets of the elemental components. Their hexagonal (P6₃/m) La_3.67FeC₆ type crystal structure was refined from X‐ray powder diffraction data of La_3.67OsC₆ (a = 889.1(1) pm, c = 535.1(1) pm) and Pr_3.67OsC₆ (a = 874.9(2) pm, c = 523.7(1) pm). The occupancy parameters of one La and one Pr site were refined to 0.35(5) and 0.34(5), respectively, in agreement with the highest possible occupancy for steric reasons of 1/3. The C–C distances in the C₂ pairs are 139(6) pm and 137(3) pm, respectively, indicating double bonds. The environment of the osmium atoms is compatible with the 18‐electron rule. The magnetic properties of several carbides were determind with a SQUID magnetometer. The lanthanum compounds La_3.67RuC₆ and La_3.67OsC₆ are Pauli paramagnetic. The magnetic properties of the other compounds are dominated by the magnetic moments of the rare earth atoms. Most order ferrimagnetically with Curie temperatures varying between 5(± 3) and 32(± 6) K for Ce_3.67OsC₆ and Pr_3.67RuC₆, respectively. The cerium atoms in Ce_3.67RuC₆ and Ce_3.67OsC₆ are essentially trivalent, and the samarium compounds show Van Vleck behavior.