Pressure-driven valence change in ternary Eu pnictides

We observed a structural phase transition with extremely anisotropic changes of the lattice parameters as a function of pressure at 2.6 GPa in EuPdP, which crystallizes in the hexagonal layered Ni2In structure type. On the basis of the results of pressure-dependent x-ray diffraction experiments on the isostructural series APdP and APdAs (A=Sr or a trivalent rare-earth element) we show that the phase transition in EuPdP is accompanied by a valence change of the Eu. Strong but continuous changes of the lattice parameters with increasing pressure, which are due to increase of the Eu valence, were observed in EuNiP, EuPtP and EuPdAs, too. An estimation of the average Eu valence in these compounds leads to preferred values of the order of 2 n/6. (author)