Keywords: Solid-state structures / Diamond network / Zintl phases / Zintl-Klemm formalism / Gold / Bismuth / Thallium / Alkali metals / Electronic structure / Density functional calculations Alkali metal gold bismuthides, A 2 AuBi, are isoelectronic with alkali metal thallides, ATl = A 2 TlTl, and yet Na 2 AuBi adopts an orthorhombic structure with a 1-D zigzag "ribbon" structural motif rather than the cubic double diamond structure type of NaTl as well as Li 2 AuBi. Using first principles quantum mechanical calculations applied to A 2 AuBi, hypothetical "A 2 HgPb," and A 2 TlTl, and comprehensively decomposing the total energies into metallicity, ionicity, and covalency components to establish parallels with the qualitative ZintlKlemm formalism, the factors determining the relative stability between the zigzag "ribbon" and the diamond network are examined. An interplay between volume-dependent en-