Optimization of Chemical Bonding through Defect Formation and Ordering-The Case of Mg7Pt4Ge4
The new phase Mg7Pt4Ge4 (Mg8□1Pt4Ge4; □ = vacancy) was prepared by reacting a mixture of the corresponding elements at high temperatures. According to single crystal X-ray diffraction data, it adopts a defect variant of the lighter analogue Mg2PtSi (Mg8Pt4Si4), reported in the Li2CuAs structure. An ordering of the Mg vacancies results in a stoichiometric phase, Mg7Pt4Ge4. However, the high content
