NdNiMg5, a new magnesium-rich phase with an unusual structural type.

The new intermetallic NdNiMg5 was discovered during the study of the Mg-rich part of the Mg-Nd-Ni system. It was synthetized by melting of the constituent elements in a sealed tantalum tube with subsequent annealing. Its structure was determined by X-ray diffraction on a single crystal. Crystal data: orthorhombic system, Cmcm, Z = 4, a = 4.4799(2) Å, b = 9.9827(3) Å, c = 13.7854(10) Å, d(calc) = 3.49 g·cm(-3). Its structure is made of infinite layers of Mg atoms that form blocks stacked along the c axis. These blocks, with a close-packed array of Mg atoms, are separated by infinite NiNd layers and connected through short Mg-Mg bonds. In the NiNd layer, the Ni and Nd atoms form an ordered graphite-type network. Antiferromagnetic ordering is observed with T(N) = 12 K, and the effective magnetic moment μeff is equal to 3.89(1) μB.