[en] Recent work on neutron absorbing materials has produced various new X-ray diffraction powder patterns of compounds of the lanthanides. Various inconsistencies in previously published data have been noted, and accurate measurements have been made of the lattice parameters of the rare earth oxides Sm₂0₃, Eu₂0₃, Gd₂0₃ which have the monoclinic rare earth type B- structure, as well as Eu0. These data are recorded for reference. The optimum conditions for obtaining X-ray powder diffraction data from europium compounds are also noted. (author)