STRUCTURAL CHEMISTRY, MAGNETISM AND SN-119 MOSSBAUER-SPECTROSCOPY OF TERNARY COMPOUNDS REMN6SN6 (RE=PR,ND,SM)

Ternary compounds (Pr,Nd,Sm)Mn6Sn6 have been synthesized by argon arc melting starting from the pure elements. All compounds were found to b e isotypic with HoFe6Sn6 (space group Immm-D2h25, no. 71; Z=6). The Ho Fe6Sn6 type is a stacking variant composed of slabs of the HfFe6Ge6 ty pe and of the ScFe6Ga6 type. The compounds order ferrimagnetically sli ghtly above room temperature exhibiting a strong magnetocrystalline an isotropy. The Sn-119 Mossbauer spectra at 15 and 293 K were fitted wit h five magnetic sextets, with hyperfine fields ranging from 12 to 32 T at 15 K.