Zintl Compounds

Abstract

The term Zintl phases was originally used to recognize contributions to the field of solid‐state inorganic compounds by Eduard Zintl. They were defined as a subgroup of intermetallic phases where the anions or anionic network could be considered formally to be valence satisfied. These compounds are made up of electropositive elements from groups 1, 2 that, in a formal sense, donate their electrons to the electronegative elements from groups 13, 14, and 15, which use them to form the correct number of bonds such that each element has a filled shell. The historical definition has been expanded from binary to ternary phases and enlarged to include transition metals and rare earth elements in some cases. The compounds that make up this class are described along with the corresponding Zintl anions arising from solution chemistry. Recent results in the field such as the use of Zintl phases for novel materials is also described.

Intrinsic Rattler-Induced Low Thermal Conductivity in Zintl Type TlInTe2

“…Zintl type structures with cationic and anionic substructures are adopted by electron-deficient compounds that cannot form all two-center-two-electron (2c-2e) covalent bonds. Electrons are transferred from the more electropositive cations to the anionic substructure where they are used to form 2c-2e covalent bonds . TlInTe 2 adopts a Zintl-like structure as the sp 3 hybridized In has only three valence electrons and hence, cannot form four 2c-2e bonds with Te atoms.…”

Exploration of the potential energy surface in mixed Zintl clusters applying an automatic Johnson polyhedra generator: the case of arachno E6M24− (E = Si, Ge, Sn; M = Sb, Bi)

“…Zintl clusters have been known for more than a century and were named aer the scientist who conducted the rst systematic studies of these compounds in 1931, Eduard Zintl. 1 These polyanionic compounds formed by metals and/or metalloids have gained signicant interest due to their industrial applications, 2,3 and as building blocks for the synthesis of nanostructured materials. [4][5][6][7][8][9] They can be formed by one or more elements, so there is a wide variety of compounds with different properties, which can be tuned depending on the application.…”