Penta- and hexa-coordinated beryllium and phosphorus in high-pressure modifications of CaBe2P2O8

6-Fold-Coordinated Beryllium in Calcite-Type Be[CO3]

The anhydrous beryllium carbonate Be[CO3] with calcite-type crystal structure was obtained by a reaction of BeO with CO2 in a laser-heated diamond anvil cell at pressures between 30 GPa and 80 GPa and elevated temperatures. Its calcite-type crystal structure (R3̅c with Z = 6) is characterized by 6-fold-coordinated beryllium atoms forming [BeO6] octahedra and by trigonal-planar [CO3]2- groups. The crystal structure was determined by synchrotron-based single-crystal X-ray diffraction and confirmed by density-functional-theory-based calculations in combination with experimental Raman spectroscopy. Calcite-type Be[CO3] was synthesized at significantly lower pressures than the other very few compounds hosting 6-fold-coordinated beryllium, and it is the first beryllium carbonate with this coordination.

High-pressure reactions between the pnictogens: the rediscovery of BiN

We explore chemical reactions within pnictogens with an example of bismuth and nitrogen under extreme conditions. Understanding chemical reactions between Bi and N, elements representing the first and the last stable elements of the nitrogen group, and the physical properties of their compounds under ambient and high pressure is far from being complete. Here, we report the high-pressure high-temperature synthesis of orthorhombic Pbcn BiN (S.G. #60) from Bi and N2 precursors at pressures above 40 GPa. Using synchrotron single-crystal X-ray diffraction on the polycrystalline sample, we solved and refined the compound's structure and studied its behavior and compressibility on decompression to ambient pressure. We confirm the stability of Pbcn BiN to pressures as low as 12.5(4) GPa. Below that pressure value, a group-subgroup phase transformation occurs, resulting in the formation of a non-centrosymmetric BiN solid with a space group Pca21 (S.G. #29). We use ab initio calculations to characterize the polymorphs of BiN. They also provide support and explanation for our experimental observations, in particular those corresponding to peculiar Bi-N bond evolution under pressure, resulting in a change in the coordination numbers of Bi and N as a function of pressure within the explored stability field of Pbcn BiN.

Five-membered N-heterocyclic beryllium(I) compounds: fluctuating electronic structures with ambiphilic reactivity

The structure, bonding, and reactivity of the five-membered N-heterocyclic beryllium compounds (NHBe), BeN₂C₂H₄ (1) and BeN₂(CH₃)₂C₂H₂ (2) were studied at the M06/def2-TZVPP//BP86/def2-TZVPP level of theory. The molecular orbital analysis indicates that NHBe is an aromatic 6π-electron system with an unoccupied σ-type spⁿ-hybrid orbital on Be. Energy decomposition analysis combined with natural orbitals for chemical valence has been carried out with Be and L (L = N₂C₂H₄ (1), N₂(CH₃)₂C₂H₂ (2)) in their different electronic states as fragments at the BP86/TZ2P level of theory. The results indicate that the best bonding representation can be considered as an interaction between Be⁺ having the 2s⁰2p_x¹2p_y⁰2p_z⁰ electronic configuration and L^-. Accordingly, L^- forms two donor-acceptor σ-bonds and one electron sharing π-bond with Be⁺. Compounds 1 and 2 show high proton and hydride affinity at beryllium, indicating its ambiphilic reactivity. The protonated structure results from adding a proton on the lone pair of electrons in the doubly excited state. On the other hand, the hydride adduct is formed by donating electrons from the hydride to an unoccupied σ-type spⁿ-hybrid orbital on Be. These compounds show very high exothermic reaction energy for adduct formation with two electron donor ligands such as cAAC, CO, NHC, and PMe₃.

Edge-sharing BO4 tetrahedra and penta-coordinated silicon in the high-pressure modification of NaBSi3O8

High-pressure modification of NaBSi3O8 results in the first example of a borosilicate compound containing edge-sharing BO4 tetrahedra and SiO5 polyhedra.

Effect of adsorption and substitutional B doping at different concentrations on the electronic and magnetic properties of a BeO monolayer: a first-principles study

The 2D form of the BeO sheet has been successfully prepared (Hui Zhang et al., ACS Nano, 2021, 15, 2497). Motivated by these exciting experimental results on the 2D layered BeO structure, we studied the effect of the adsorption of B atoms on BeO (B@BeO) and substitutional B atoms (B-BeO) at the Be site at different B concentrations. We investigated the structural stability and the mechanical, electronic, magnetic, and optical properties of the mentioned structures using first-principles calculations. We found out that hexagonal BeO monolayers with adsorbed and dopant B atoms have different mechanical stabilities at different concentrations. B@BeO and B-BeO monolayers are brittle structures, and B@BeO structures are more rigid than B-BeO monolayers (at the same B concentration). The adsorption and the formation energy per B atom decrease as the B concentration increases. In comparison, the work function increases when increasing the B concentration. The work function of B@BeO is higher than the corresponding value of B-BeO (at the same B concentration). The magnetic moment linearly increases as the B concentration increases. BeO is a semiconductor with an indirect bandgap of 5.3 eV. The B@BeO and B-BeO structures are semiconductors, except for 3B-BeO (14.2% doped concentration), which is a metal. The bandgap is 1.25 eV for most of the adsorbed atom concentrations. For B-BeO, the bandgap decreases to zero at a concentration of 14.2%. The bandgap of the B-BeO monolayer at different B concentrations is smaller than the corresponding values of the B@BeO monolayer, which indicates that B substitutional doping has a greater effect on the electronic structure of the BeO monolayer than B adsorption doping. We investigated the optical properties, including the dielectric function and absorption coefficient. The results indicate good optical absorption in the range of infrared and ultraviolet energies for the B adsorbed and doped BeO monolayer.

High-Pressure Synthesis of Dirac Materials: Layered van der Waals Bonded BeN_{4} Polymorph

High-pressure chemistry is known to inspire the creation of unexpected new classes of compounds with exceptional properties. Here, we employ the laser-heated diamond anvil cell technique for synthesis of a Dirac material BeN_{4}. A triclinic phase of beryllium tetranitride tr-BeN_{4} was synthesized from elements at ∼85  GPa. Upon decompression to ambient conditions, it transforms into a compound with atomic-thick BeN_{4} layers interconnected via weak van der Waals bonds and consisting of polyacetylene-like nitrogen chains with conjugated π systems and Be atoms in square-planar coordination. Theoretical calculations for a single BeN_{4} layer show that its electronic lattice is described by a slightly distorted honeycomb structure reminiscent of the graphene lattice and the presence of Dirac points in the electronic band structure at the Fermi level. The BeN_{4} layer, i.e., beryllonitrene, represents a qualitatively new class of 2D materials that can be built of a metal atom and polymeric nitrogen chains and host anisotropic Dirac fermions.

Polymorphs of the Gadolinite-Type Borates ZrB2 O5 and HfB2 O5 Under Extreme Pressure

Based on the results from previous high‐pressure experiments on the gadolinite‐type mineral datolite, CaBSiO₄(OH), the behavior of the isostructural borates β‐HfB₂O₅ and β‐ZrB₂O₅ have been studied by synchrotron‐based in situ high‐pressure single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction experiments. On compression to 120 GPa, both borate layer‐structures are preserved. Additionally, at ≈114 GPa, the formation of a second phase can be observed in both compounds. The new high‐pressure modification γ‐ZrB₂O₅ features a rearrangement of the corner‐sharing BO₄ tetrahedra, while still maintaining the four‐ and eight‐membered rings. The new phase γ‐HfB₂O₅ contains ten‐membered rings including the rare structural motif of edge‐sharing BO₄ tetrahedra with exceptionally short B−O and B⋅⋅⋅B distances. For both structures, unusually high coordination numbers are found for the transition metal cations, with ninefold coordinated Hf⁴⁺, and tenfold coordinated Zr⁴⁺, respectively. These findings remarkably show the potential of cold compression as a low‐energy pathway to discover metastable structures that exhibit new coordinations and structural motifs.

Polymorphism of feldspars above 10 GPa

Feldspars are rock-forming minerals that make up most of the Earth’s crust. Along the mantle geotherm, feldspars are stable at pressures up to 3 GPa and may persist metastably at higher pressures under cold conditions. Previous structural studies of feldspars are limited to ~10 GPa, and have shown that the dominant mechanism of pressure-induced deformation is the tilting of AlO₄ and SiO₄ tetrahedra in a tetrahedral framework. Herein, based on results of in situ single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies up to 27 GPa, we report the discovery of new high-pressure polymorphs of the feldspars anorthite (CaSi₂Al₂O₈), albite (NaAlSi₃O₈)_, and microcline (KAlSi₃O₈). The phase transitions are induced by severe tetrahedral distortions, resulting in an increase in the Al and/or Si coordination number. High-pressure phases derived from feldspars could persist at depths corresponding to the Earth upper mantle and could possibly influence the dynamics and fate of cold subducting slabs.

Feldspars are stable at pressures up to 3 GPa along the mantle geotherm, but they can persist metastably at higher pressures at colder conditions. Here, above 10 GPa the authors find  new high-pressure polymorphs of feldspars that could persist at depths corresponding to the Earth’s upper mantle, potentially influencing the dynamics and fate of cold subducting slabs.

High pressure phase transitions of paracelsian BaAl2Si2O8

Three new polymorphs of aluminosilicate paracelsian, BaAl₂Si₂O₈, have been discovered using synchrotron-based in situ high-pressure single crystal X-ray diffraction. The first isosymmetric phase transition (from paracelsian-I to paracelsian-II) occurs between 3 and 6 GPa. The phase transition is associated with the formation of pentacoordinated Al³⁺ and Si⁴⁺ ions, which occurs in a stepwise fashion by sequential formation of Al-O and Si-O bonds additional to those in AlO₄ and SiO₄ tetrahedra, respectively. The next phase transition occurs between 25 and 28 GPa and is accompanied by the symmetry change from monoclinic (P2₁/c) to orthorhombic (Pna2₁). The structure of paracelsian-III consists of SiO₆ octahedra, AlO₆ octahedra and distorted AlO₄ tetrahedra, i.e. the transition is reconstructive and associated with the changes of Si⁴⁺ and Al³⁺ coordination, which show rather complex behaviour with the general tendency towards increasing coordination numbers. The third phase transition is observed between 28 and 32 GPa and results in the symmetry decreasing from Pna2₁ to Pn. The transition has a displacive character. In the course of the phase transformation pathway up to 32 GPa, the structure of polymorphs becomes denser: paracelsian-II is based upon elements of cubic and hexagonal close-packing arrangements of large O²⁻ and Ba²⁺ ions, whereas, in the crystal structure of paracelsian-III and IV, this arrangement corresponds to 9-layer closest-packing with the layer sequence ABACACBCB.