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We investigated the effect of Cd and Hg doping on the first order superconducting (SC) transition and the high field-low temperature SC state of CeCoIn 5 by measuring the specific heat of CeCo(In 1−x Cd x ) 5 with x=0.0011, 0.0022 and 0.0033 and CeCo(In 1−x Hg x ) 5 with x=0.00016, 0.00032, and 0.00048 at temperatures down to 0.1 K and fields up to 14 T. Cd substitution rapidly suppresses the cross-over temperature T 0 , where the superconducting transition changes from second to first order, to T =0 K with x=0.0022 for H [100], while it remains roughly constant up to x=0.0033 for H [001]. The associated anomaly of the proposed FFLO state in Hg-doped samples is washed out by x=0.00048, while remaining at the same temperature, indicating high sensitivity of that state to impurities. We interpret these results as supporting the non-magnetic, possibly FFLO, origin of the high field -low temperature state in CeCoIn 5 .

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Zintl phase compounds with large unit cells and complex anionic structures such as Yb 11 Sb 10 hold potential for being good thermoelectric materials. Single crystals of Ge-doped Yb 11 Sb 10

Single crystals of the new Zintl phases AIn 2 P 2 [A = Ca (calcium indium phosphide), Sr (strontium indium phosphide) and Ba (barium indium phosphide)] have been synthesized from a reactive indium flux. CaIn 2 P 2 and SrIn 2 P 2 are isostructural with EuIn 2 P 2 and crystallize in the space group P6 3 /mmc. The alkaline earth cations A are located at a site with 3m symmetry; In and P are located at sites with 3m symmetry. The structure type consists of layers of A 2+ cations separated by [In 2 P 2 ] 2À anions that contain [In 2 P 6 ] eclipsed ethane-like units that are further connected by shared P atoms. This yields a double layer of six-membered rings in which the In-In bonds are parallel to the c axis and to one another. BaIn 2 P 2 crystallizes in a new structure type in the space group P2 1 /m with Z = 4, with all atoms residing on sites of mirror symmetry. The structure contains layers of Ba 2+ cations separated by [In 2 P 2 ] 2À layers of staggered [In 2 P 6 ] units that form a mixture of four-, five-and six-membered rings. As a consequence of this more complicated layered structure, both the steric and electronic requirements of the large Ba 2+ cation are met. Comment Layered ternary compounds, AB 2 X 2 (A = rare earth or alkaline earth metal; B = main group, metalloid; X = main group 14-17 element) or 1-2-2 phases, favor the ThCr 2 Si 2 (I4/mmm) structure type, with the CaAl 2 Si 2 structure type (P3m1) as a distant second (Grytsiv et al., 2002; Hellmann et al., 2007). There are a few other less commonly observed structure types for layered main group metalloids, such as-BaCu 2 S 2 (Pnma; Leoni et al., 2003) observed for BaAl 2 Si 2 (Condron et al., 2007), and EuIn 2 P 2 (Jiang & Kauzlarich, 2006). In addition to inorganic compounds

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, BaIn2P2. -The title compounds are prepared by reaction of the elements using an excess of indium as flux (alumina crucible in a sealed quartz tube, 1373 K, 16 h). CaIn2P2 (I) and SrIn2P2 (II) crystallize in the hexagonal space group P63 with Z = 2 and BaIn2P2 (III) in the monoclinic space group P2 1 /m with Z = 4 (single crystal XRD). The structure of (I)