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Metallic Solids

Metallic Solids

Metallic solids such as crystals of copper, aluminum, and iron are formed by metal atoms. The structure of metallic crystals is often described as a uniform distribution of atomic nuclei within a “sea” of delocalized electrons. The atoms within such a metallic solid are held together by a unique force known as metallic bonding that gives rise to many useful and varied bulk properties.
All metallic solids exhibit high thermal and electrical conductivity, metallic luster, and malleability. Many...

Acid Halides to Alcohols: LiAlH4 Reduction

Acid Halides to Alcohols: LiAlH₄ Reduction

Acid halides are reduced to alcohols in the presence of a strong reducing agent like lithium aluminum hydride.
The mechanism proceeds in three steps. First, the nucleophilic hydride ion attacks the carbonyl carbon of the acid halide to form a tetrahedral intermediate. Next, the carbonyl group is re-formed, and the halide ion departs as a leaving group, generating an aldehyde. A second nucleophilic attack by the hydride yields an alkoxide ion, which, upon protonation, gives a primary alcohol as...

Ionic Bonding and Electron Transfer

Ionic Bonding and Electron Transfer

Ions are atoms or molecules bearing an electrical charge. A cation (a positive ion) forms when a neutral atom loses one or more electrons from its valence shell, and an anion (a negative ion) forms when a neutral atom gains one or more electrons in its valence shell. Compounds composed of ions are called ionic compounds (or salts), and their constituent ions are held together by ionic bonds: electrostatic forces of attraction between oppositely charged cations and anions.

Electrophilic Addition to Alkynes: Halogenation

Electrophilic Addition to Alkynes: Halogenation

Introduction
Halogenation is another class of electrophilic addition reactions where a halogen molecule gets added across a π bond. In alkynes, the presence of two π bonds allows for the addition of two equivalents of halogens (bromine or chlorine). The addition of the first halogen molecule forms a trans-dihaloalkene as the major product and the cis isomer as the minor product. Subsequent addition of the second equivalent yields the tetrahalide.

Valence Bond Theory

Valence Bond Theory

Coordination compounds and complexes exhibit different colors, geometries, and magnetic behavior, depending on the metal atom/ion and ligands from which they are composed. In an attempt to explain the bonding and structure of coordination complexes, Linus Pauling proposed the valence bond theory, or VBT, using the concepts of hybridization and the overlapping of the atomic orbitals. According to VBT, the central metal atom or ion (Lewis acid) hybridizes to provide empty orbitals of suitable...

Ionic Association

Ionic Association

The ionic association is the association of oppositely charged ions in an electrolyte solution to form ion pairs. Bjerrum defined ion pairs as two oppositely charged ions whose electrostatic attraction exceeds the thermal energy of the system, typically expressed as 2kT. Electrostatic attraction depends on ionic charge, separation distance, and the dielectric constant of the medium. Thermal energy, represented by kT, reflects the tendency of ions to move independently due to molecular motion.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 13, 2026

From Molecules to Materials: Engineering New Ionic Liquid Crystals Through Halogen Bonding

From Molecules to Materials: Engineering New Ionic Liquid Crystals Through Halogen Bonding

Published on: March 24, 2018

Pressure induced dimer to ionic insulator and metallic structural changes in Al2Br6.

Yansun Yao¹, Dennis D Klug

¹Department of Physics and Engineering Physics, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7N 5E2, Canada. yansun.yao@usask.ca

The Journal of Chemical Physics

|March 15, 2013

Summary

High-pressure studies reveal Al2Br6 undergoes two phase transitions, forming a stable polymeric phase and a metallic phase. This metallic phase exhibits superconductivity, with potential critical temperatures above 0.5 K.

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Area of Science:

Materials Science
Condensed Matter Physics
Computational Chemistry

Background:

Aluminum bromide (Al2Br6) is a molecular solid.
Understanding high-pressure behavior is crucial for materials science.
Previous studies on AlBr3 under pressure are limited.

Purpose of the Study:

To theoretically investigate high-pressure phase transitions in Al2Br6.
To predict structural, mechanical, and electronic properties under extreme pressure.
To explore potential superconductivity in high-pressure AlBr3.

Main Methods:

First-principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations.
Phonon spectra analysis for stability assessment.
Electronic structure calculations to determine metallic behavior and superconductivity.

Main Results:

A transition to a planar polymeric phase near 0.4 GPa with a volume reduction.
Preservation of the hcp bromine lattice during the first transition.
A second transition around 80 GPa leading to a metallic AlBr3 phase.
Metallic phase exhibits soft phonon modes and Fermi surface nesting.
Estimated superconducting critical temperature (Tc) of 0.5 K or above for the metallic phase.

Conclusions:

Al2Br6 can form a stable, quenchable polymeric phase at moderate pressures.
High-pressure AlBr3 becomes metallic and potentially superconducting.
The findings provide insights into the high-pressure behavior of aluminum halides.