EN
We report on studies of physical properties of the two compounds CeFe_2Al_8 and CeCo_2Al_8 in which we have found varying degrees of electronic correlational phenomena. No magnetic ordering was detected down to 0.4 K in either of the two compounds. At elevated temperatures an incoherent Kondo interaction between the Ce 4f-electron and the conduction electrons is prevalent in both compounds. CeCo_2Al_8 exhibits a stable 4f-electron magnetic moment, but in CeFe_2Al_8 an intermediate-valent state prevails near room temperature that eventually transforms into a Fermi-liquid ground state. The low-temperature specific heat of CeCo_2Al_8 shows typical strongly correlated electron behaviour and a - logT upturn in its electronic specific heat below about 10 K.