Ce(SmS2)2 crystallizes in the tetragonal I-42d space group. Sm(1) is bonded to eight equivalent S(1) atoms to form distorted SmS8 hexagonal bipyramids that share corners with four equivalent Sm(1)S8 hexagonal bipyramids, corners with four equivalent Ce(1)S8 hexagonal bipyramids, edges with four equivalent Sm(1)S8 hexagonal bipyramids, faces with four equivalent Sm(1)S8 hexagonal bipyramids, and faces with four equivalent Ce(1)S8 hexagonal bipyramids. Ce(1) is bonded to eight equivalent S(1) atoms to form distorted CeS8 hexagonal bipyramids that share corners with eight equivalent Sm(1)S8 hexagonal bipyramids, edges with four equivalent Ce(1)S8 hexagonal bipyramids, and faces with eight equivalent Sm(1)S8 hexagonal bipyramids. S(1) is bonded to four equivalent Sm(1) and two equivalent Ce(1) atoms to form a mixture of distorted corner, face, and edge-sharing SCe2Sm4 octahedra. The corner-sharing octahedral tilt angles range from 16-50°.
Ce(SmS2)2 crystallizes in the tetragonal I-42d space group. Sm(1) is bonded to eight equivalent S(1) atoms to form distorted SmS8 hexagonal bipyramids that share corners with four equivalent Sm(1)S8 hexagonal bipyramids, corners with four equivalent Ce(1)S8 hexagonal bipyramids, edges with four equivalent Sm(1)S8 hexagonal bipyramids, faces with four equivalent Sm(1)S8 hexagonal bipyramids, and faces with four equivalent Ce(1)S8 hexagonal bipyramids. There are a spread of Sm(1)-S(1) bond distances ranging from 2.86-3.06 Å. Ce(1) is bonded to eight equivalent S(1) atoms to form distorted CeS8 hexagonal bipyramids that share corners with eight equivalent Sm(1)S8 hexagonal bipyramids, edges with four equivalent Ce(1)S8 hexagonal bipyramids, and faces with eight equivalent Sm(1)S8 hexagonal bipyramids. There are four shorter (2.88 Å) and four longer (3.05 Å) Ce(1)-S(1) bond lengths. S(1) is bonded to four equivalent Sm(1) and two equivalent Ce(1) atoms to form a mixture of distorted corner, face, and edge-sharing SCe2Sm4 octahedra. The corner-sharing octahedral tilt angles range from 16-50°.