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Samples of R2Fe17C(y)N(x) (R = Y, Sm, Er, Tm) were prepared by arc melting appropriate amount of R, Fe, and C, vacuum annealing at 1373 K and finally annealing at 740 K in nitrogen for 10 h. The magnetic properties of these compounds were investigated by means of ac initial susceptibility, magnetization measurements, and x-ray diffraction. The thermal stability of the nitride phase was studied by differential scanning calorimetry. It was found that, when heated above 600 K, R2Fe17C(y)N(x) irreversibly decomposes N which is irrespective of the carbon concentration and rare-earth element. The Curie temperatures of R2Fe17C(y)N(x) are independent of the carbon concentration and are approximately 400 K higher than those of the corresponding pure R2Fe17 compounds. However, the Curie temperatures cannot be correlated to the composition x of the initial R2Fe17C(y)N(x) compounds at room temperature because some N was lost during the heating to T(c). In the Er and Tm compounds spin reorientation transitions were found, marking the change of the easy magnetization direction from the c axis to the basal plane with increasing temperature. The Tm compounds show an additional magnetic transition at low temperatures (below 40 K). A coexistence of the hexagonal and the rhombohedral structural modifications was found in Er2Fe17C(y)N(x) when y < 1.5, characterized by two different spin reorientation temperatures. The anisotropy fields of Sm2Fe17C(y)N(x) are higher than that of Sm2Fe17N(x). Indications of a magnetic phase transition were found also in Sm2Fe17C0.7N(x) and Sm2Fe17C0.9N(x).