Ion Segregation and Electrostatic Imbalance in Metal Hydrides

Abstract

Crystal chemical indices of ion segregation and electrostatic imbalance after Beck help to rationalize inorganic crystal structures and sometimes even to predict them. Metal hydrides, from hydridoaluminates and -gallates, to complex transition metal hydrides, ternary ionic magnesium hydrides and mixed anionic hydrides, were investigated using these tools. Beck's ion segregation and electrostatic imbalance indices are found to work well in explaining crystal structures of * Prof. Dr. H. Kohlmann

The coordination number rule and its implications – a review

“…They have been applied successfully also to structures of hydride compounds. [18] The crystal structures obey these rules even in complex transition-metal hydrides where bonds are considered to be mainly covalent, and the notion of ion segregation and electrostatic imbalance can nicely explain the observed structures. Furthermore, we may even use themto a certain extent -as a tool to predict structures or at least important features of them once we have clear indications how to choose coordination numbers of the component atoms.…”