YPd 2 Al and YPd 2 Zn with LiCu 2 Sn Type Structure

The palladium‐rich phases YPd 2 Al and YPd 2 Zn were synthesized from the elements; YPd 2 Al by arc‐melting and YPd 2 Zn by induction melting in a sealed niobium ampoule. The structure of YPd 2 Al was refined from single‐crystal X‐ray diffractometer data: LiCu 2 Sn type, P 6 3 / mmc , a = 433.9(2), c = 910.5(2) pm, wR 2 = 0.0497, 150 F 2 values, and 9 variables. The lattice parameters of YPd 2 Zn are a = 437.3(1) and c = 891.4(2) pm. The aluminum atoms in YPd 2 Al show strongly flattened octahedral palladium coordination. These AlPd 6 octahedra are condensed via edges, forming layers around z = 0 and z = 1/2, which are condensed in c direction by weak Pd–Pd bonds. The yttrium atoms fill the cavities between these layers. YPd 2 Al and YPd 2 Zn belong to a larger family of 341 compounds with the Wyckoff sequence 194, f ca. The distinctly different crystal chemical branches are briefly discussed.