UPt3
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UPt3 is an inorganic binary intermetallic crystalline compound of platinum and uranium.
Production
It can be synthesised in the following ways:
- as an intermetallic compound, by direct fusion of pure components according to stoichiometric calculations:
3 P t + U → 1700 o C U P t 3 {\displaystyle {\mathsf {3Pt+U\ {\xrightarrow {1700^{o}C}}\ UPt_{3}}}}
- by reduction of uranium dioxide with hydrogen in the presence of platinum:
U O 2 + 2 H 2 + 3 P t → 1700 o C U P t 3 + 2 H 2 O {\displaystyle {\mathsf {UO_{2}+2H_{2}+3Pt\ {\xrightarrow {1700^{o}C}}\ UPt_{3}+2H_{2}O}}}
Physical properties
UPt3 forms crystals of hexagonal symmetry (some studies hypothesize a trigonal structure instead), space group P63/mmc, cell parameters a = 0.5766 nm and c = 0.4898 nm (c should be understood as distance from planes), with a structure similar to nisnite (Ni3Sn) and MgCd3.
The compound congruently melts at 1700 °C. The enthalpy of formation of the compound is -111 kJ/mol.
At temperatures below 1 K it becomes superconducting. Due to the large effective mass of the conduction electrons, UPt3 is classed as a Heavy fermion superconductor.