Die ersten Nitrid-Spinelle – neue Synthesewege für binäre Nitride der 4. Hauptgruppe

Nitride Spinel: An Ultraincompressible High-Pressure Form of BeP2 N4

Owing to its outstanding elastic properties, the nitride spinel γ‐Si₃N₄ is of considered interest for materials scientists and chemists. DFT calculations suggest that Si₃N₄‐analog beryllium phosphorus nitride BeP₂N₄ adopts the spinel structure at elevated pressures as well and shows outstanding elastic properties. Herein, we investigate phenakite‐type BeP₂N₄ by single‐crystal synchrotron X‐ray diffraction and report the phase transition into the spinel‐type phase at 47 GPa and 1800 K in a laser‐heated diamond anvil cell. The structure of spinel‐type BeP₂N₄ was refined from pressure‐dependent in situ synchrotron powder X‐ray diffraction measurements down to ambient pressure, which proves spinel‐type BeP₂N₄ a quenchable and metastable phase at ambient conditions. Its isothermal bulk modulus was determined to 325(8) GPa from equation of state, which indicates that spinel‐type BeP₂N₄ is an ultraincompressible material.

Multianvil high-pressure / high-temperature synthesis in solid state chemistry

During the last 60 years, new high pressure techniques and their exploitation have permitted the extension of attainable pressure/volume conditions, increased versatility of the apparatus, and hydrostaticity of the attained pressure in a remarkable way. In preparative solid state chemistry, high-pressure/high-temperature synthesis always played a minor role due to technical difficulties and costs. Piston-cylinder and Belt-apparatus both were limited to the working range up to 3 and 10 GPa, respectively. New technical developments, which allow synthesis up to 25 GPa, open up an enormous field of sample synthesis in solid state chemistry. In the following, a short overview on the most important developments in multianvil-techniques is given with respect to their applications for solid state chemistry under high-pressure conditions.

Nanocrystalline Lanthanide Nitride Materials Synthesised by Thermal Treatment of Amido and Ammine Metallocenes: X-ray Studies and DFT Calculations

The decomposition process of ammine lanthanide metallocenes was studied by X-ray diffractometry, spectroscopy and theoretical investigations. A series of ammine-tris(eta(5)-cyclopentadienyl)lanthanide(III) complexes 1-Ln (Lanthanide (Ln)=Sm, Gd, Dy, Ho, Er, Yb) was synthesised by the reaction of [Cp(3)Ln] complexes (Cp=cyclopentadienyl) with liquid ammonia at -78 degrees C and structurally characterised by X-ray diffraction methods, mass spectrometry and vibrational (IR, Raman) spectroscopy. Furthermore, amido-bis(eta(5)-cyclopentadienyl)lanthanide(III) complexes 2-Ln (Ln=Dy, Ho, Er, Yb) were synthesised by heating the respective ammine adduct 1-Ln in an inert gas atmosphere at temperatures of between 240 and 290 degrees C. X-ray diffraction studies, mass spectrometry and vibrational (IR, Raman) spectroscopy were carried out for several 2-Ln species and proved the formation of dimeric mu(2)-bridged compounds. Species 1-Ln are highly reactive coordination compounds and showed different behaviour regarding the decomposition to 2-Ln. The reaction of 1-Ln and 2-Ln with inorganic bases yielded lanthanide nitride LnN powders with an estimated crystallite size of between 40 and 90 nm at unprecedented low temperatures of 240 to 300 degrees C. Temperature-dependent X-ray powder diffraction and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) investigations were performed and showed that the decomposition reaction yielded nanocrystalline material. Structural optimisations were carried out for 1-Ln and 2-Ln by employing density functional (DFT) calculations. A good agreement was found between the observed and calculated structural parameters. Also, Gibbs free energies were calculated for 1-Ln, 2-Ln and the pyrolysis reaction to the nitride material, and were found to fit well with the expected ranges.

High-pressure syntheses of novel binary nitrogen compounds of main group elements

The application of high-pressure methods in the search for novel materials usually requires additional effort compared to syntheses at ambient pressure. Depending on the desired p/T conditions different methods may be used. Special techniques and experimental apparatus such as shock waves, diamond anvil cells, and multianvil presses, which have been applied mainly by earth scientists and physicists in the past, are increasingly being applied by synthetic chemists and material scientists. A series of fascinating discoveries have been made recently as is demonstrated by three examples of binary nitrogen compounds: 1) Diazenides, compounds with N(2)(2-) ions, were obtained as single-phase products and structurally characterized for the first time. 2) At 11 GPa and 1800 K a phosphorus(V) nitride was prepared, which contains tetragonal PN(5) pyramids as a novel structural motif. 3) Macroscopic amounts of spinel silicon nitride were synthesized by shock-wave techniques, which allows the comprehensive characterization and possibly the implementation of this new hard material.