Modern History of Organic Conductors: An Overview

This short review article provides the reader with a summary of the history of organic conductors. To retain a neutral and objective point of view regarding the history, background, novelty, and details of each research subject within this field, a thousand references have been cited with full titles and arranged in chronological order. Among the research conducted over ~70 years, topics from the last two decades are discussed in more detail than the rest. Unlike other papers in this issue, this review will help readers to understand the origin of each topic within the field of organic conductors and how they have evolved. Due to the advancements achieved over these 70 years, the field is nearing new horizons. As history is often a reflection of the future, this review is expected to show the future directions of this research field.

Ag L(3)-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure of 4d(10) (Ag(+)) compounds: origin of the edge peak and its chemical relevance

A peak appearing at the L(2,3) X-ray absorption edge often provides the number of empty d states of the X-ray absorbing atoms. Ag(+) compounds have a d(10) state (no d empty states) but show a small peak at the edge. In this research, we systematically studied the edge peak of Ag(+) compounds to understand its origin on the basis of the molecular orbital picture and to obtain a relation of the edge peak intensity to chemical and physical quantities. The edge peak can be formally assigned to the transition from 2p to 5s enhanced by the s-d hybridization. The peak intensity has a negative correlation with a coordination charge but has a positive correlation with the strength of the covalent bond, which is in the reverse order to the other d(n) (n < 10) elements.