The Preparation and Structure of Chain and Sheet Mercury Compounds
Abstract
This paper is a review of the preparation and structures of the polymercury cations Hg32+ and Hg42+, the mercury chain compounds, Hg3-δAsF6, Hg3-δSbF6, Hg3-δNbF6 and Hg3-δTaF6, and the mercury layer compounds Hg3NbF6 and Hg3TaF6. The chain compounds Hg3-δMF6 are hard, golden yellow insoluble crystals with a shiny metallic appearance that have linear chains of mercury atoms parallel to the a and b axes of a tetragonal cell. They are non-stoichiometric because the Hg--Hg distance is not commensurate with the tetragonal lattice of AsF6- octahedra. The layer compounds have a silver colour with a distinct metallic lustre, but they are quite soft. They have sheets of hexagonally close-packed mercury atoms separated by a layer of NbF6- or TaF6- octahedra. In contrast to the chain compounds the layer compounds are stoichiometric. The interconversion of the chain and layer compounds is described and discussed.
- Publication:
-
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London Series A
- Pub Date:
- May 1985
- DOI:
- 10.1098/rsta.1985.0011
- Bibcode:
- 1985RSPTA.314..105G