Evidence of uranium magnetic ordering on U2Fe3Ge

A new ternary uranium intermetallic compound, U2Fe3Ge, was synthesized and investigated. This compound crystallizes in the MgZn2-type structure (a=5.1870(3)Å and c=7.8501(5)Å, space group P63/mmcP63/mmc), with uranium–uranium distances well below the Hill limit. Magnetization measurements indicate a ferromagnetic-type transition at 55(1) K. Mössbauer studies show that the magnetic ordering is due only to the uranium sub-lattice, pointing to U2Fe3Ge as a new exception to Hill’s rule.