The structure of the compound Cd3P2

Structure of Cd3P2 (P42/nmc, a = b = 8.7390 A, c = 12.2523 A) has been solved and refined up to R = 3.78% using precision X-ray diffraction experimental data (λ-MoK α, graphite monochromator on a primary beam, 11529 reflections). Interatomic distances and valence angles are determined. Phosphorus forms a face-centered cubic lattice in which 3/4 tetrahedral voids are occupied by cadmium atoms in the crystal structure. The structure can be described by two equivalent models in which the positions of cadmium atoms, which occupy tetrahedral voids following the “diamond principle,” are preserved, while the remaining free and occupied voids change their places.