RbYbI3 crystallizes in the orthorhombic Pnma space group. Rb(1) is bonded in a 8-coordinate geometry to one I(1), three equivalent I(3), and four equivalent I(2) atoms. Yb(1) is bonded to one I(2), two equivalent I(3), and three equivalent I(1) atoms to form edge-sharing YbI6 octahedra. There are three inequivalent I sites. In the first I site, I(1) is bonded in a distorted rectangular see-saw-like geometry to one Rb(1) and three equivalent Yb(1) atoms. In the second I site, I(2) is bonded to four equivalent Rb(1) and one Yb(1) atom to form a mixture of distorted edge and corner-sharing IRb4Yb square pyramids. In the third I site, I(3) is bonded in a 5-coordinate geometry to three equivalent Rb(1) and two equivalent Yb(1) atoms.
RbYbI3 crystallizes in the orthorhombic Pnma space group. Rb(1) is bonded in a 8-coordinate geometry to one I(1), three equivalent I(3), and four equivalent I(2) atoms. The Rb(1)-I(1) bond length is 3.86 Å. There are two shorter (3.82 Å) and one longer (4.11 Å) Rb(1)-I(3) bond length. There are two shorter (3.77 Å) and two longer (3.78 Å) Rb(1)-I(2) bond lengths. Yb(1) is bonded to one I(2), two equivalent I(3), and three equivalent I(1) atoms to form edge-sharing YbI6 octahedra. The Yb(1)-I(2) bond length is 3.03 Å. Both Yb(1)-I(3) bond lengths are 3.11 Å. There is one shorter (3.14 Å) and two longer (3.15 Å) Yb(1)-I(1) bond lengths. There are three inequivalent I sites. In the first I site, I(1) is bonded in a distorted rectangular see-saw-like geometry to one Rb(1) and three equivalent Yb(1) atoms. In the second I site, I(2) is bonded to four equivalent Rb(1) and one Yb(1) atom to form a mixture of distorted edge and corner-sharing IRb4Yb square pyramids. In the third I site, I(3) is bonded in a 5-coordinate geometry to three equivalent Rb(1) and two equivalent Yb(1) atoms.