Exploring the Nature of Ag–Ag Interactions in Different Tellurides by Means of the Crystal Orbital Bond Index (COBI)

Abstract

Over the decades, intensive explorations have been conducted to understand the nature of d10−d10 interactions. The recent establishment of a bonding indicator named the crystal orbital bond index stimulated our impetus to probe the capabilities of that approach for the examples of Ag–Ag interactions in different tellurides. In the framework of our quantum chemical explorations, we inspected the electronic structures of two tellurides which were previously reported to comprise d10−d10 interactions, while the third candidate material, i.e., RbCe2Ag3Te5, has been obtained from reactions of rubidium chloride, cerium, silver and tellurium for the very first time. The outcome of our explorations clearly shows that the nature of Ag–Ag interactions is well mirrored by the corresponding COBI.