Abstract
Single crystals of the LaMg2 cubic Laves phase were synthesized by arc melting. The binary LaMg2 compound has been shown to adopt the MgCu2‐type structure. The coordination sphere of the rare earth metal, adopting a site symmetry of , consists only of 12 Mg atoms. The site symmetry of the alkaline earth metal is , giving rise to superimposed distorted MgLa6 and MgMg6 octahedra.