A Low Temperature Method for the Synthesis of New Lead Selenite Chlorides: Pb3(SeO3)(SeO2OH)Cl3 and Pb3(SeO3)2Cl2

Progress toward Solid State Synthesis by Design

Ages of history are defined by the underlying materials that promoted human development: stone, bronze, and iron ages. Since the middle of the last century, humanity has lived in a silicon age, where the development of the transistor ushered in new technologies previously thought inconceivable. But as technology has advanced, so have the requirements for new materials to sustain increasing physical demands. The field of solid state chemistry is dedicated to the discovery of new materials and phenomena, and though most materials discoveries in history have been through serendipity rather than careful reaction design, the last few decades have seen an increase in the number of materials discovered through a consideration of chemical reaction kinetics and thermodynamics. Materials by design have changed the way solid state chemists approach the synthesis of possible materials with interesting and useful properties. Unlike other chemistry subfields such as organic chemistry and biochemistry, solid state chemistry does not currently benefit from a toolbox of reactions that can allow for the synthesis of any arbitrary material. The diversity and complexity of the solid state phase space likely inhibits chemists from ever having such a toolbox. However, a thorough understanding of the various synthetic techniques involved in the synthesis of stable and metastable solids may be realized through an understanding of the reaction kinetics and thermodynamics. In the Account, we review the common synthesis techniques involved in the formation of metastable materials and break down their underlying chemistry to the simplest reaction mechanisms involved. The synthesis reactions of most metastable materials can be understood through these three reaction driving parameters, which include the exploitation of Le Chatelier's principle, thermo-kinetic reaction coupling, and lowering the activation energy of formation of the metastable product, and we identify several materials whose syntheses are described either by one or a combination of these driving parameters. We identify what exists at the frontier of materials discovery by design, including novel applications of supercritical fluids for tuning between "gas" and "solvent"-like environments. While conventional solvation requires changes in either the temperature or composition of the system, supercritical fluid solvation requires only changes in the fluid density, which opens up the possibilities for the synthesis of new materials. Most importantly, however, we look toward the future of materials synthesis by design and see that it must be a collaborative one. At present, chemists design materials using knowledge about chemical structure and reactivity but often target specific materials with very specific properties. In contrast, computational chemists perform calculations on millions of different elemental combinations and find many candidates of possible materials with interesting properties, though most of these are not realizable synthetically due to limitations in reactivity, kinetics, or thermodynamics. Synthetic harmony can be achieved through active collaboration and communication between these two subfields of chemistry, such that new calculations can incorporate complete knowledge about reaction kinetics and thermodynamics, and new syntheses target computationally predicted materials derived from an understanding of mapped reaction landscapes.

Pb3(SeO3)Br4: a new nonlinear optical material with enhanced SHG response designedviaan ion-substitution strategy

A new NLO material has been designedviaion-substitution from a similar structure. It shows an enhanced SHG response equalling to that of KH₂PO₄(KDP) and a high laser damage threshold of 67 MW cm⁻¹.

Rb2SeOCl4·H2O: a polar material among the alkali metal selenite halides with a strong SHG response

The synthesis, crystal structure and properties of Rb₂SeOCl₄·H₂O, the first polar material among the A–Se–O–X systems (A = alkali metal or alkali-earth metal), is presented. It shows a powder SHG response of 8 times that of KDP.

Syntheses, structures, and characterization of new lead(II)-tellurium(IV)-oxide halides: Pb3Te2O6X2 and Pb3TeO4X2 (X = Cl or Br)

The syntheses, structures, and characterization of four new lead(II)-tellurium(IV)-oxide halides, Pb(3)Te(2)O(6)X(2) and Pb(3)TeO(4)X(2) (X = Cl or Br) are reported. The materials are synthesized by solid-state techniques, using Pb(3)O(2)Cl(2) or Pb(3)O(2)Br(2) and TeO(2) as reagents. The compounds have three-dimensional structural topologies consisting of lead-oxide halide polyhedra connected to tellurium oxide groups. In addition, the Pb(2+) and Te(4+) cations are in asymmetric coordination environments attributable to their stereoactive lone pair. We also demonstrate that Pb(3)Te(2)O(6)X(2) and Pb(2)TeO(4)X(2) can be interconverted reversibly through the loss or addition of TeO(2). X-ray data: Pb(3)Te(2)O(6)Cl(2), monoclinic, space group C2/m (No. 12), a = 16.4417(11) A, b = 5.6295(4) A, c = 10.8894(7) A, beta = 103.0130(10) degrees, Z = 4; Pb(3)Te(2)O(6)Br(2), monoclinic, space group C2/m (No. 12), a = 16.8911(8) A, b = 5.6804(2) A, c = 11.0418(5) A, beta = 104.253(2) degrees, Z = 4; Pb(3)TeO(4)Cl(2), orthorhombic, space group Bmmb (No. 63), a = 5.576(1) A, b = 5.559(1) A, c = 12.4929(6) A, Z = 4; Pb(3)TeO(4)Br(2), orthorhombic, space group Bmmb (No. 63), a = 5.6434(4) A, b = 5.6434(5) A, c = 12.9172(6) A, Z = 4.