The intermetallic zinc compounds RE 6 Pd 13 Zn 4 (RE = La -Nd, Sm, Gd, Tb) were synthesized from the elements in sealed niobium ampoules. They crystallize with the cubic Na 16 Ba 6 N (Dy 6 Fe 16 O) type structure, space group Im3m. The samples were investigated by powder X-ray diffraction and four structures were refined on the basis of single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. The striking struc-* Prof. Dr. R. Pöttgen