The specific heat has been measured at low temperatures (-I K to 20 K) for four large crystals of VC x , with results that indicate the presence of maxima near x = 0.85 in both the Debye characteristic temperature, e o , and the electronic density of states at the Fc-rmi level N r ( I ). The behavior of 6 0 suggests that the maximum melting temperature of VC occurs at a composition close to that of the ordered compound V 6C 5 , rather then at the composition VC 0-75 proposed recently by Rudy.

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... e variation of N r (^) with x his been used to obtain an estimate for the density-of-states curve in the vicinity of the Fermi level. The result is discussed in terms of the behavior expect-d from elementary considerations of the electronic structure. Current. address: School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences,