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The elements in group 18 are noble gases (helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, and radon). They earned the name “noble” because they were assumed to be nonreactive since they have filled valence shells. In 1962, Dr. Neil Bartlett at the University of British Columbia proved this assumption to be false.
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On Close Parallels between the Zintl-Based Superatom Ge9Be and Chalcogen Elements.

Duomei Xue1, Di Wu1, Zeren Chen2

  • 1Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, Institute of Theoretical Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun 130023, P. R. China.

Inorganic Chemistry
|February 16, 2021
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Summary

Germanium-Beryllium (Ge9Be) Zintl clusters exhibit superatom properties, mimicking chalcogen elements. This discovery enables the design of novel materials with unique electronic and chemical characteristics.

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Area of Science:

  • * Materials Science
  • * Cluster Chemistry
  • * Superatom Chemistry

Background:

  • * Superatoms are nanoscale clusters that mimic the properties of individual atoms.
  • * The
  • * Zintl clusters are a class of intermetallic compounds with unique electronic structures.

Purpose of the Study:

  • * To investigate the superatom characteristics of the Zintl cluster Ge9Be.
  • * To explore the potential of Ge9Be as a superatom building block.

Main Methods:

  • * Computational studies were employed to analyze the electronic structure and stability of Ge9Be.
  • * Theoretical modeling was used to predict the formation of compounds with Ge9Be.

Main Results:

  • * Ge9Be possesses 38 valence electrons, exhibiting a strong tendency to gain two electrons for shell closure, akin to chalcogens.
  • * Ge9Be forms stable ionic compounds with alkali and alkaline-earth metals, analogous to chalcogenides.
  • * Covalent compounds formed between Ge9Be and Al7- resemble carbon oxides, and (Ge9Be)2-based compounds mirror peroxides.

Conclusions:

  • * Ge9Be is identified as a stable superatom with remarkable similarity to group VIA elements.
  • * This finding provides a new avenue for designing and synthesizing novel superatom materials based on Zintl clusters.