Crystal Structure and Magnetism of Noncentrosymmetric EuPdSn.

The new intermetallic compound EuPdSn has been investigated. A single crystal was selected from the alloy and was analyzed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, revealing that this compound possesses the noncentrosymmetric CaPdGe structure type being, so far, the only rare-earth-based representative. Bonding analysis, performed on the basis of DOS and (I)COHP, reveals the presence of strong covalent Sn-Pd bonds in addition to linear and equidistant Pd-Pd chains. The incomplete ionization of Eu leads to its participation in weaker covalent interactions. The magnetic effective moment, extracted from the magnetic susceptibility is = 7.87 μ, close to the free ion Eu value ( = 7.94 μ). The maximum of at ∼ 13 K indicates an antiferromagnetic behavior below this temperature. A coincident sharp anomaly in the specific heat () emerges from a broad anomaly centered at around 10 K. From the reduced jump in the heat capacity at a scenario of a transition to an incommensurate antiferromagnetic phase below followed by a commensurate configuration below 10 K is suggested.