Struktur und Bildung von RbCs11O3

Thermolysis of Cs9MO4 (M = In, Sc): Synthesis, Crystal Structure, Chemical Bonding, and Reactivity of the Subvalent Oxidometalates Cs7MO4 (M = In, Sc)

The cesium-poor alkali-metal suboxidometalates Cs7MO4 (M = In, Sc) were prepared from the respective cesium-rich suboxidometalates Cs9MO4 by thermolysis in a dynamic vacuum at temperatures below 150 °C. They crystallize in a new structure type, comprising isolated tetrahedral oxidometalate anions [MO4]5- immersed in a matrix of metallic cesium atoms. This structural separation into alternating ionic and metallic building units is typical for subvalent compounds. Cs7InO4 and Cs7ScO4 are isotypic and form mixed crystals Cs7(In1-xScx)O4 with statistic distribution of In and Sc atoms. All compounds were characterized by single crystal and powder X-ray diffraction. Calculations of the electronic structure with DFT methods corroborate the coexistence of anionic entities within a metallic matrix and give evidence of the subvalent nature of cesium atoms. Overall metallic behavior is a consequence of the equal volume fractions of metallic and ionic regions, allowing for percolation of the conduction electrons throughout the crystal volume. Differential thermoanalysis was employed to gain insight into the chemical conversion processes during the thermolysis reaction. The thermolytic decomposition of Cs9MO4 is a multistep process with, in some instances, reversible amorphization and recrystallization steps. Finally, the formation of ionic compounds is observed. The full decomposition of Cs9ScO4 yields the two new oxidoscandates Cs14Sc4O13 and Cs17Sc5O15 with tetrahedral [ScO4] units connected to chain fragments and the indium compound yields cesium oxidoindates with low-condensed [InO4] building units. The cesium-poor suboxidometalates Cs7MO4 themselves can serve as starting materials for the synthesis of further, new suboxidometalates, as they show a unique reactivity toward metals.

Theoretical Study on the Electronic Structure of Heavy Alkali-Metal Suboxides

On the metal-rich side of the phase diagrams of the Rb-O, Cs-O, and Rb-Cs-O systems, one can find a variety of stoichiometries: for example, Rb₉O₂, Rb₆O, Cs₄O, Cs₇O, Cs₁₁O₃, RbCs₁₁O₃, and Rb₇Cs₁₁O₃. They may be termed heavy alkali-metal suboxides. The application of the standard electron-counting scheme to these compounds suggests the presence of surplus electrons. This motivated us to carry out a theoretical study using the first-principles density functional theory (DFT) method. The structures of these compounds are based on either a formally cationic Rb₉O₂ or Cs₁₁O₃ cluster. The analyses of the partial charge density just below the Fermi level and the electron localization function (ELF) have revealed that there exist surplus electrons in interstitial regions of all the investigated suboxides so that the excess positive charge of the cluster can be compensated. Density of states (DOS) calculations suggest that all of the compounds are metallic. Therefore, the suboxides listed above may be regarded as a new family of metallic electrides, where coreless electrons reside in interstitial spaces and provide a conduction channel. Except for the phases of Rb₉O₂ and Cs₁₁O₃, the suboxide structures include both the cationic clusters and alkali-metal matrix. Several charge analyses indicate that the interstitial surplus-electron density can be assigned to the alkali-metal atoms in the metal matrix, leading to the possibility of the presence of negatively charged alkali-metal atoms, namely Rb^- (rubidide) and Cs^- (caeside) ions, a.k.a. alkalides. In Rb₆O, Rb^-, Rb⁰, and Rb⁺ are found to coexist in the same crystal structure. Similarly, in Cs₇O, one can find the three types of Cs atoms. However, in Cs₄O, no Cs⁰ state is identified. In the Rb-Cs-O ternary suboxides, Rb takes a negatively charged anion state or neutral state, while all of the Cs atoms are found to be cationic because they get involved in the Cs₁₁O₃ cluster and all the Rb atoms exist in interstitial sites. Orbital interactions between the clusters are analyzed to understand how the condensation of the clusters into the solid happens and how the electride nature ensues. These clusters are found to have some superatomic character.