Mg6CeZn crystallizes in the orthorhombic Amm2 space group. There are four inequivalent Mg sites. In the first Mg site, Mg(1) is bonded in a 12-coordinate geometry to two equivalent Mg(1), two equivalent Mg(2), two equivalent Mg(3), two equivalent Mg(4), two equivalent Ce(1), and two equivalent Zn(1) atoms. In the second Mg site, Mg(2) is bonded in a 12-coordinate geometry to two equivalent Mg(1), two equivalent Mg(2), two equivalent Mg(3), two equivalent Mg(4), two equivalent Ce(1), and two equivalent Zn(1) atoms. In the third Mg site, Mg(3) is bonded to two equivalent Mg(4), four equivalent Mg(1), four equivalent Mg(2), and two equivalent Zn(1) atoms to form distorted MgMg10Zn2 cuboctahedra that share corners with four equivalent Mg(4)Ce2Mg10 cuboctahedra, corners with six equivalent Mg(3)Mg10Zn2 cuboctahedra, edges with two equivalent Mg(4)Ce2Mg10 cuboctahedra, faces with two equivalent Mg(4)Ce2Mg10 cuboctahedra, faces with two equivalent Mg(3)Mg10Zn2 cuboctahedra, and faces with six equivalent Ce(1)Mg10Zn2 cuboctahedra. In the fourth Mg site, Mg(4) is bonded to two equivalent Mg(3), four equivalent Mg(1), four equivalent Mg(2), and two equivalent Ce(1) atoms to form distorted MgCe2Mg10 cuboctahedra that share corners with four equivalent Mg(3)Mg10Zn2 cuboctahedra, corners with six equivalent Mg(4)Ce2Mg10 cuboctahedra, edges with two equivalent Mg(3)Mg10Zn2 cuboctahedra, edges with four equivalent Ce(1)Mg10Zn2 cuboctahedra, faces with two equivalent Mg(4)Ce2Mg10 cuboctahedra, faces with two equivalent Mg(3)Mg10Zn2 cuboctahedra, and faces with two equivalent Ce(1)Mg10Zn2 cuboctahedra. Ce(1) is bonded to two equivalent Mg(4), four equivalent Mg(1), four equivalent Mg(2), and two equivalent Zn(1) atoms to form CeMg10Zn2 cuboctahedra that share corners with six equivalent Ce(1)Mg10Zn2 cuboctahedra, edges with four equivalent Mg(4)Ce2Mg10 cuboctahedra, faces with two equivalent Mg(4)Ce2Mg10 cuboctahedra, faces with two equivalent Ce(1)Mg10Zn2 cuboctahedra, and faces with six equivalent Mg(3)Mg10Zn2 cuboctahedra. Zn(1) is bonded in a 10-coordinate geometry to two equivalent Mg(3), four equivalent Mg(1), four equivalent Mg(2), and two equivalent Ce(1) atoms.
Mg6CeZn crystallizes in the orthorhombic Amm2 space group. There are four inequivalent Mg sites. In the first Mg site, Mg(1) is bonded in a 12-coordinate geometry to two equivalent Mg(1), two equivalent Mg(2), two equivalent Mg(3), two equivalent Mg(4), two equivalent Ce(1), and two equivalent Zn(1) atoms. There is one shorter (3.16 Å) and one longer (3.29 Å) Mg(1)-Mg(1) bond length. Both Mg(1)-Mg(2) bond lengths are 3.18 Å. Both Mg(1)-Mg(3) bond lengths are 3.22 Å. Both Mg(1)-Mg(4) bond lengths are 3.15 Å. There is one shorter (3.32 Å) and one longer (3.35 Å) Mg(1)-Ce(1) bond length. There is one shorter (3.24 Å) and one longer (3.44 Å) Mg(1)-Zn(1) bond length. In the second Mg site, Mg(2) is bonded in a 12-coordinate geometry to two equivalent Mg(1), two equivalent Mg(2), two equivalent Mg(3), two equivalent Mg(4), two equivalent Ce(1), and two equivalent Zn(1) atoms. There is one shorter (3.08 Å) and one longer (3.37 Å) Mg(2)-Mg(2) bond length. There is one shorter (3.28 Å) and one longer (3.39 Å) Mg(2)-Mg(3) bond length. There is one shorter (3.24 Å) and one longer (3.44 Å) Mg(2)-Mg(4) bond length. Both Mg(2)-Ce(1) bond lengths are 3.23 Å. Both Mg(2)-Zn(1) bond lengths are 3.13 Å. In the third Mg site, Mg(3) is bonded to two equivalent Mg(4), four equivalent Mg(1), four equivalent Mg(2), and two equivalent Zn(1) atoms to form distorted MgMg10Zn2 cuboctahedra that share corners with four equivalent Mg(4)Ce2Mg10 cuboctahedra, corners with six equivalent Mg(3)Mg10Zn2 cuboctahedra, edges with two equivalent Mg(4)Ce2Mg10 cuboctahedra, faces with two equivalent Mg(4)Ce2Mg10 cuboctahedra, faces with two equivalent Mg(3)Mg10Zn2 cuboctahedra, and faces with six equivalent Ce(1)Mg10Zn2 cuboctahedra. Both Mg(3)-Mg(4) bond lengths are 3.23 Å. Both Mg(3)-Zn(1) bond lengths are 3.23 Å. In the fourth Mg site, Mg(4) is bonded to two equivalent Mg(3), four equivalent Mg(1), four equivalent Mg(2), and two equivalent Ce(1) atoms to form distorted MgCe2Mg10 cuboctahedra that share corners with four equivalent Mg(3)Mg10Zn2 cuboctahedra, corners with six equivalent Mg(4)Ce2Mg10 cuboctahedra, edges with two equivalent Mg(3)Mg10Zn2 cuboctahedra, edges with four equivalent Ce(1)Mg10Zn2 cuboctahedra, faces with two equivalent Mg(4)Ce2Mg10 cuboctahedra, faces with two equivalent Mg(3)Mg10Zn2 cuboctahedra, and faces with two equivalent Ce(1)Mg10Zn2 cuboctahedra. Both Mg(4)-Ce(1) bond lengths are 3.23 Å. Ce(1) is bonded to two equivalent Mg(4), four equivalent Mg(1), four equivalent Mg(2), and two equivalent Zn(1) atoms to form CeMg10Zn2 cuboctahedra that share corners with six equivalent Ce(1)Mg10Zn2 cuboctahedra, edges with four equivalent Mg(4)Ce2Mg10 cuboctahedra, faces with two equivalent Mg(4)Ce2Mg10 cuboctahedra, faces with two equivalent Ce(1)Mg10Zn2 cuboctahedra, and faces with six equivalent Mg(3)Mg10Zn2 cuboctahedra. Both Ce(1)-Zn(1) bond lengths are 3.23 Å. Zn(1) is bonded in a 10-coordinate geometry to two equivalent Mg(3), four equivalent Mg(1), four equivalent Mg(2), and two equivalent Ce(1) atoms.