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Valence State Driven Site Preference in the Quaternary Compound Ca5MgAgGe5: An Electron-Deficient Phase with Optimized Bonding.

Ponou, Simeon LU ; Lidin, Sven LU ; Zhang, Yuemei and Miller, Gordon J (2014) In Inorganic Chemistry 53(9). p.4724-4732
Abstract
The quaternary phase Ca5Mg0.95Ag1.05(1)Ge5 (3) was synthesized by high-temperature solid-state techniques, and its crystal structure was determined by single-crystal diffraction methods in the orthorhombic space group Pnma - Wyckoff sequence c(12) with a = 23.1481(4) Å, b = 4.4736(1) Å, c = 11.0128(2) Å, V = 1140.43(4) Å(3), Z = 4. The crystal structure can be described as linear intergrowths of slabs cut from the CaGe (CrB-type) and the CaMGe (TiNiSi-type; M = Mg, Ag) structures. Hence, 3 is a hettotype of the hitherto missing n = 3 member of the structure series with the general formula R2+nT2X2+n, previously described with n = 1, 2, and 4. The member with n = 3 was predicted in the space group Cmcm - Wyckoff sequence f(5)c(2). The... (More)
The quaternary phase Ca5Mg0.95Ag1.05(1)Ge5 (3) was synthesized by high-temperature solid-state techniques, and its crystal structure was determined by single-crystal diffraction methods in the orthorhombic space group Pnma - Wyckoff sequence c(12) with a = 23.1481(4) Å, b = 4.4736(1) Å, c = 11.0128(2) Å, V = 1140.43(4) Å(3), Z = 4. The crystal structure can be described as linear intergrowths of slabs cut from the CaGe (CrB-type) and the CaMGe (TiNiSi-type; M = Mg, Ag) structures. Hence, 3 is a hettotype of the hitherto missing n = 3 member of the structure series with the general formula R2+nT2X2+n, previously described with n = 1, 2, and 4. The member with n = 3 was predicted in the space group Cmcm - Wyckoff sequence f(5)c(2). The experimental space group Pnma (in the nonstandard setting Pmcn) corresponds to a klassengleiche symmetry reduction of index two of the predicted space group Cmcm. This transition originates from the switching of one Ge and one Ag position in the TiNiSi-related slab, a process that triggers an uncoupling of each of the five 8f sites in Cmcm into two 4c sites in Pnma. The Mg/Ag site preference was investigated using VASP calculations and revealed a remarkable example of an intermetallic compound for which the electrostatic valency principle is a critical structure-directing force. The compound is deficient by one valence electron according to the Zintl concept, but LMTO electronic structure calculations indicate electronic stabilization and overall bonding optimization in the polyanionic network. Other stability factors beyond the Zintl concept that may account for the electronic stabilization are discussed. (Less)
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author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Inorganic Chemistry
volume
53
issue
9
pages
4724 - 4732
publisher
The American Chemical Society (ACS)
external identifiers
  • pmid:24745932
  • wos:000335547400053
  • scopus:84899856094
  • pmid:24745932
ISSN
1520-510X
DOI
10.1021/ic500449d
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
83c77197-6319-4f36-b389-eadb3ee3addf (old id 4429847)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 10:52:56
date last changed
2022-01-26 03:23:30
@article{83c77197-6319-4f36-b389-eadb3ee3addf,
  abstract     = {{The quaternary phase Ca5Mg0.95Ag1.05(1)Ge5 (3) was synthesized by high-temperature solid-state techniques, and its crystal structure was determined by single-crystal diffraction methods in the orthorhombic space group Pnma - Wyckoff sequence c(12) with a = 23.1481(4) Å, b = 4.4736(1) Å, c = 11.0128(2) Å, V = 1140.43(4) Å(3), Z = 4. The crystal structure can be described as linear intergrowths of slabs cut from the CaGe (CrB-type) and the CaMGe (TiNiSi-type; M = Mg, Ag) structures. Hence, 3 is a hettotype of the hitherto missing n = 3 member of the structure series with the general formula R2+nT2X2+n, previously described with n = 1, 2, and 4. The member with n = 3 was predicted in the space group Cmcm - Wyckoff sequence f(5)c(2). The experimental space group Pnma (in the nonstandard setting Pmcn) corresponds to a klassengleiche symmetry reduction of index two of the predicted space group Cmcm. This transition originates from the switching of one Ge and one Ag position in the TiNiSi-related slab, a process that triggers an uncoupling of each of the five 8f sites in Cmcm into two 4c sites in Pnma. The Mg/Ag site preference was investigated using VASP calculations and revealed a remarkable example of an intermetallic compound for which the electrostatic valency principle is a critical structure-directing force. The compound is deficient by one valence electron according to the Zintl concept, but LMTO electronic structure calculations indicate electronic stabilization and overall bonding optimization in the polyanionic network. Other stability factors beyond the Zintl concept that may account for the electronic stabilization are discussed.}},
  author       = {{Ponou, Simeon and Lidin, Sven and Zhang, Yuemei and Miller, Gordon J}},
  issn         = {{1520-510X}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{9}},
  pages        = {{4724--4732}},
  publisher    = {{The American Chemical Society (ACS)}},
  series       = {{Inorganic Chemistry}},
  title        = {{Valence State Driven Site Preference in the Quaternary Compound Ca5MgAgGe5: An Electron-Deficient Phase with Optimized Bonding.}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ic500449d}},
  doi          = {{10.1021/ic500449d}},
  volume       = {{53}},
  year         = {{2014}},
}