Diytterbium(II) lithium indium(III) digermanide, Yb2LiInGe2

Abstract

The title compound, Yb2LiInGe2, a new ordered quaternary intermetallic phase, crystallizes with the orthorhombic Ca2LiInGe2 type (Pearson code oP24). The crystal structure contains six crystallographically unique sites in the asymmetric unit, all in special positions with site symmetry .m.. The structure is complex and based on [InGe4] tetrahedra, which share corners in two directions, forming layers parallel to (001). Yb atoms fill square-pyramidal (Yb1) and octahedral (Yb2) interstices between the [InGe4/2] layers, while the small Li+ atoms fill tetrahedral sites.