“…The oxides of the general formula R 2 BaMO 5 (R = rare-earth, M = 3d-transition metal) form a large family of compounds that crystallize into four different structural types with intriguing magnetic properties (Michel and Raveau, 1982;1983 St. Schiffler andMüller-Buschaum, 1986;St. Schiffler and Müller-Buschbaum, 1986;1987a;1987b;Mevs and Müller-Buschbaum, 1989;Mevs and Müller-Buschbaum, 1989;Müller-Buschbaum and Sonne, 1990;Amador et al, 1990;Salinas-Sánchez, Sáez-Puche, and Alario-Franco, 1990;Salinas-Sánchez et al, 1991;Sáez-Puche et al, 1992;Salinas-Sánchez et al, 1992;García-Matres, Martínez, et al, 1993;De Andrés et al, 1993;Sáez-Puche and Hernández-Velasco, 1994;Hernández-Velasco, Salinas-Sánchez, and Sáez-Puche, 1994). Amongst these, the best known is the green phase R 2 BaCuO 5 (R = Sm-Gd, Dy-Lu, Y) compounds exhibiting the orthorhombic structure with space group Pnma where the coordination polyhedron of copper is a distorted tetragonal pyramid CuO 5 which is linked by monocapped trigonal prisms (RO 7 ) by sharing triangular faces.…”