Author

Zin Tun

Date of Award

10-1984

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Chemistry

Supervisor

I.D. Brown

Abstract

Structures of Hg compounds in fractional oxidation states lower than +1, Hg(,3-(delta))MF(,6) (M = Sb, Nb, Ta), Hg(,3)MF(,6) (M = Nb, Ta), Hg(,4)(Ta(,2)F(,11))(,2) and Hg(,3)(NbF(,5))(,2)SO(,4), were determined at room temperature and at lower temperatures using X ray and neutron diffraction. The Hg(,3-(delta))MF(,6) compounds, isostructural with Hg(,3-(delta))AsF(,6), contain infinite chains of Hg which are incommensurate and thus disorder with the MF(,6) host lattice. A comparison between the structures showed that the differences observed in the parameters of the chain compounds are completely accounted for by the difference in anion size. The chain-host lattice incommensurability also results in disorder among the chains at room temperature but an ordering develops at lower temperatures. As in Hg(,3-(delta))AsF(,6), short and long range order phases were observed in experiments with Hg(,3-(delta))SbF(,6) and Hg(,3-(delta))TaF(,6). The characteristics of the short range order phase are different in each compound indicating that the details of chain-chain interactions are not the same. Emery-Axe order parameter theory which predicts the development of long range order phase was tested for M = As, Sb, Ta but agreement was obtained only for Hg(,3-(delta))SbF(,6). A structure consisting of hexagonal closed-packed layers of Hg atoms was proposed for the Hg(,3)MF(,6) compounds. The unusual 2-dimensional Hg-Hg bonding of these compounds represents an intermediate stage between the elemental solid Hg and the Hg(,3-(delta))MF(,6) compounds which form 3- and 1-dimensional Hg-Hg bonds respectively. The Hg(,4)(Ta(,2)F(,11))(,2) and Hg(,3)(NbF(,5))(,2)SO(,4) consists of finite polyatomic Hg ions. The former shows a tendency of cations to link into infinite zigzag chains, a feature also seen in Hg(,4)(AsF(,6))(,2), while the latter does not show such a tendency.


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