Recent reinvestigations of zinc-rich systems of group 8 to 10 transition metals brought to light several binary phases adopting remarkably complex structures. It is generally assumed that the formation and stability of such brass-like phases is controlled by the number of valence electrons per atoms available for bonding. In order to seize the element-specific influence on composi¬tion and structure of noble metal zinc-rich phases we took a fresh look at the Rh-Zn, Ru-Zn and Os-Zn systems.
The Phases are accessible via high-temperature reaction from the elements in the appropriate substance amount ratio. The crystal structures were determined by X-ray structure analysis on single-crystal or powder.
Six, four and two additional phases were uncovered respectively in the Rh-Zn, Ru-Zn and Os-Zn system.
