Metal Flux Growth of Lanthanide Carbide Hydrides Using Anthracene.

Reactions of anthracene in Ln/T eutectic mixtures (Ln = La, Yb; T = Ni, Cu) have produced crystals of new complex lanthanide carbide hydride phases. The thermal decomposition of anthracene provides a source of both carbon and hydrogen. LaCH forms in space group with unit cell parameters = 7.

Flux Growth of an Intermetallic with Interstitial Fluorides Decomposition of a Fluorocarbon.

La(FeC)F was grown as large crystals by reacting iron in a La/Ni eutectic flux in the presence of decafluorobiphenyl (CF) which acts as both a carbon and fluoride source. This mild fluorinating technique enables the isolation of an intermetallic product containing fluoride interstitials, as opposed to forming ionic metal fluorides. The compound adopts a structure in the hexagonal crystal system with space group 6̅ which features FeC units composed of a central iron atom coordinated by three ethylenide units in a trigonal planar configuration.