The crystal structure described by Yb4(GeO5)3 crystallizes in the orthorhombic Cmcm space group. There are two inequivalent Yb sites. In the first Yb site, Yb(1) is bonded in a 7-coordinate geometry to one O(1), one O(3), one O(7), two equivalent O(2), and two equivalent O(5) atoms. In the second Yb site, Yb(2) is bonded to one O(1), one O(6), one O(7), and four equivalent O(5) atoms to form distorted YbO7 pentagonal bipyramids that share  a cornercorner with one Yb(2)O7 pentagonal bipyramid, corners with two equivalent Ge(1)O4 tetrahedra, and edges with two equivalent Yb(2)O7 pentagonal bipyramids. There are two inequivalent Ge sites. In the first Ge site, Ge(1) is bonded to one O(1), one O(7), and two equivalent O(2) atoms to form GeO4 tetrahedra that share corners with two equivalent Ge(2)O6 octahedra and corners with two equivalent Yb(2)O7 pentagonal bipyramids. The corner-sharing octahedral tilt angles are 60°. In the second Ge site, Ge(2) is bonded to two equivalent O(3) and four equivalent O(2) atoms to form GeO6 octahedra that share corners with two equivalent Ge(2)O6 octahedra and corners with four equivalent Ge(1)O4 tetrahedra. The corner-sharing octahedral tilt angles are 46°. There are seven inequivalent O sites. In the first O site, O(2) is bonded in a trigonal planar geometry to one Yb(1), one Ge(1), and one Ge(2) atom. In the second O site, O(3) is bonded to two equivalent Yb(1) and two equivalent Ge(2) atoms to form distorted corner-sharing OYb2Ge2 tetrahedra. In the third O site, O(4) is bonded in a distorted single-bond geometry to one O(6) atom. In the fourth O site, O(5) is bonded in a trigonal planar geometry to one Yb(1) and two equivalent Yb(2) atoms. In the fifth O site, O(6) is bonded in a distorted T-shaped geometry to two equivalent Yb(2) and one O(4) atom. In the sixth O site, O(7) is bonded in a trigonal planar geometry to one Yb(1), one Yb(2), and one Ge(1) atom. In the seventh O site, O(1) is bonded in a 3-coordinate geometry to one Yb(1), one Yb(2), and one Ge(1) atom. is represented by the CIF file [CIF]
data_Yb4(GeO5)3
_symmetry_space_group_name_H-M   'P 1'
_cell_length_a   9.611
_cell_length_b   9.611
_cell_length_c   6.954
_cell_angle_alpha   90.000
_cell_angle_beta   90.000
_cell_angle_gamma   109.652
_symmetry_Int_Tables_number   1
_cell_volume   604.982
_cell_formula_units_Z   2
loop_
 _symmetry_equiv_pos_site_id
 _symmetry_equiv_pos_as_xyz
  1  'x, y, z'
loop_
 _atom_site_type_symbol
 _atom_site_label
 _atom_site_symmetry_multiplicity
 _atom_site_fract_x
 _atom_site_fract_y
 _atom_site_fract_z
 _atom_site_occupancy
  Yb  Yb0  1  0.069  0.328  0.250  1.0
  Yb  Yb1  1  0.931  0.672  0.750  1.0
  Yb  Yb2  1  0.328  0.069  0.250  1.0
  Yb  Yb3  1  0.672  0.931  0.750  1.0
  Yb  Yb4  1  0.735  0.417  0.250  1.0
  Yb  Yb5  1  0.265  0.583  0.750  1.0
  Yb  Yb6  1  0.417  0.735  0.250  1.0
  Yb  Yb7  1  0.583  0.265  0.750  1.0
  Ge  Ge8  1  0.049  0.736  0.250  1.0
  Ge  Ge9  1  0.951  0.264  0.750  1.0
  Ge  Ge10  1  0.736  0.049  0.250  1.0
  Ge  Ge11  1  0.264  0.951  0.750  1.0
  Ge  Ge12  1  0.000  0.000  0.000  1.0
  Ge  Ge13  1  0.000  0.000  0.500  1.0
  O  O14  1  0.991  0.542  0.250  1.0
  O  O15  1  0.009  0.458  0.750  1.0
  O  O16  1  0.542  0.991  0.250  1.0
  O  O17  1  0.458  0.009  0.750  1.0
  O  O18  1  0.964  0.792  0.048  1.0
  O  O19  1  0.036  0.208  0.952  1.0
  O  O20  1  0.036  0.208  0.548  1.0
  O  O21  1  0.792  0.964  0.452  1.0
  O  O22  1  0.964  0.792  0.452  1.0
  O  O23  1  0.208  0.036  0.548  1.0
  O  O24  1  0.208  0.036  0.952  1.0
  O  O25  1  0.792  0.964  0.048  1.0
  O  O26  1  0.067  0.067  0.250  1.0
  O  O27  1  0.933  0.933  0.750  1.0
  O  O28  1  0.406  0.406  0.250  1.0
  O  O29  1  0.594  0.594  0.750  1.0
  O  O30  1  0.240  0.531  0.094  1.0
  O  O31  1  0.760  0.469  0.906  1.0
  O  O32  1  0.760  0.469  0.594  1.0
  O  O33  1  0.531  0.240  0.406  1.0
  O  O34  1  0.240  0.531  0.406  1.0
  O  O35  1  0.469  0.760  0.594  1.0
  O  O36  1  0.469  0.760  0.906  1.0
  O  O37  1  0.531  0.240  0.094  1.0
  O  O38  1  0.521  0.521  0.250  1.0
  O  O39  1  0.479  0.479  0.750  1.0
  O  O40  1  0.822  0.239  0.250  1.0
  O  O41  1  0.178  0.761  0.750  1.0
  O  O42  1  0.239  0.822  0.250  1.0
  O  O43  1  0.761  0.178  0.750  1.0
[/CIF]
.
The crystal structure described by Yb4(GeO5)3 crystallizes in the orthorhombic Cmcm space group. There are two inequivalent Yb sites. In the first Yb site, Yb(1) is bonded in a 7-coordinate geometry to one O(1), one O(3), one O(7), two equivalent O(2), and two equivalent O(5) atoms. In the second Yb site, Yb(2) is bonded to one O(1), one O(6), one O(7), and four equivalent O(5) atoms to form distorted YbO7 pentagonal bipyramids that share  a cornercorner with one Yb(2)O7 pentagonal bipyramid, corners with two equivalent Ge(1)O4 tetrahedra, and edges with two equivalent Yb(2)O7 pentagonal bipyramids. There are two inequivalent Ge sites. In the first Ge site, Ge(1) is bonded to one O(1), one O(7), and two equivalent O(2) atoms to form GeO4 tetrahedra that share corners with two equivalent Ge(2)O6 octahedra and corners with two equivalent Yb(2)O7 pentagonal bipyramids. The corner-sharing octahedral tilt angles are 60°. In the second Ge site, Ge(2) is bonded to two equivalent O(3) and four equivalent O(2) atoms to form GeO6 octahedra that share corners with two equivalent Ge(2)O6 octahedra and corners with four equivalent Ge(1)O4 tetrahedra. The corner-sharing octahedral tilt angles are 46°. There are seven inequivalent O sites. In the first O site, O(2) is bonded in a trigonal planar geometry to one Yb(1), one Ge(1), and one Ge(2) atom. In the second O site, O(3) is bonded to two equivalent Yb(1) and two equivalent Ge(2) atoms to form distorted corner-sharing OYb2Ge2 tetrahedra. In the third O site, O(4) is bonded in a distorted single-bond geometry to one O(6) atom. In the fourth O site, O(5) is bonded in a trigonal planar geometry to one Yb(1) and two equivalent Yb(2) atoms. In the fifth O site, O(6) is bonded in a distorted T-shaped geometry to two equivalent Yb(2) and one O(4) atom. In the sixth O site, O(7) is bonded in a trigonal planar geometry to one Yb(1), one Yb(2), and one Ge(1) atom. In the seventh O site, O(1) is bonded in a 3-coordinate geometry to one Yb(1), one Yb(2), and one Ge(1) atom. is represented by the CIF file [CIF]
data_Yb4(GeO5)3
_symmetry_space_group_name_H-M   'P 1'
_cell_length_a   9.611
_cell_length_b   9.611
_cell_length_c   6.954
_cell_angle_alpha   90.000
_cell_angle_beta   90.000
_cell_angle_gamma   109.652
_symmetry_Int_Tables_number   1
_cell_volume   604.982
_cell_formula_units_Z   2
loop_
 _symmetry_equiv_pos_site_id
 _symmetry_equiv_pos_as_xyz
  1  'x, y, z'
loop_
 _atom_site_type_symbol
 _atom_site_label
 _atom_site_symmetry_multiplicity
 _atom_site_fract_x
 _atom_site_fract_y
 _atom_site_fract_z
 _atom_site_occupancy
  Yb  Yb0  1  0.069  0.328  0.250  1.0
  Yb  Yb1  1  0.931  0.672  0.750  1.0
  Yb  Yb2  1  0.328  0.069  0.250  1.0
  Yb  Yb3  1  0.672  0.931  0.750  1.0
  Yb  Yb4  1  0.735  0.417  0.250  1.0
  Yb  Yb5  1  0.265  0.583  0.750  1.0
  Yb  Yb6  1  0.417  0.735  0.250  1.0
  Yb  Yb7  1  0.583  0.265  0.750  1.0
  Ge  Ge8  1  0.049  0.736  0.250  1.0
  Ge  Ge9  1  0.951  0.264  0.750  1.0
  Ge  Ge10  1  0.736  0.049  0.250  1.0
  Ge  Ge11  1  0.264  0.951  0.750  1.0
  Ge  Ge12  1  0.000  0.000  0.000  1.0
  Ge  Ge13  1  0.000  0.000  0.500  1.0
  O  O14  1  0.991  0.542  0.250  1.0
  O  O15  1  0.009  0.458  0.750  1.0
  O  O16  1  0.542  0.991  0.250  1.0
  O  O17  1  0.458  0.009  0.750  1.0
  O  O18  1  0.964  0.792  0.048  1.0
  O  O19  1  0.036  0.208  0.952  1.0
  O  O20  1  0.036  0.208  0.548  1.0
  O  O21  1  0.792  0.964  0.452  1.0
  O  O22  1  0.964  0.792  0.452  1.0
  O  O23  1  0.208  0.036  0.548  1.0
  O  O24  1  0.208  0.036  0.952  1.0
  O  O25  1  0.792  0.964  0.048  1.0
  O  O26  1  0.067  0.067  0.250  1.0
  O  O27  1  0.933  0.933  0.750  1.0
  O  O28  1  0.406  0.406  0.250  1.0
  O  O29  1  0.594  0.594  0.750  1.0
  O  O30  1  0.240  0.531  0.094  1.0
  O  O31  1  0.760  0.469  0.906  1.0
  O  O32  1  0.760  0.469  0.594  1.0
  O  O33  1  0.531  0.240  0.406  1.0
  O  O34  1  0.240  0.531  0.406  1.0
  O  O35  1  0.469  0.760  0.594  1.0
  O  O36  1  0.469  0.760  0.906  1.0
  O  O37  1  0.531  0.240  0.094  1.0
  O  O38  1  0.521  0.521  0.250  1.0
  O  O39  1  0.479  0.479  0.750  1.0
  O  O40  1  0.822  0.239  0.250  1.0
  O  O41  1  0.178  0.761  0.750  1.0
  O  O42  1  0.239  0.822  0.250  1.0
  O  O43  1  0.761  0.178  0.750  1.0
[/CIF]
.