The magnetic moment (mu) of the host compounds Y(2)Fe(17-x)M(x) (M = S
i, Si0.7Al0.3, Al) decreases gradually with x irrespective of M and of
the unit cell volume. After that, mu decreases steeply with x. mu inc
reases about 15% after nitrogenation. mu of nitrides decreases with x
which is similar to that of the host compounds. However, the range of
x, where mu decreases gradually with x, is narrower than that of host
compounds. This result shows that polarization of the 3d-band is enhan
ced by nitrogenation.