title: Synthesis, structure, and bonding of Sc(6)MTe(2) (M = Ag, Cu, Cd): heterometal-induced polymerization of metal chains in Sc(2)Te.
abstract: Three new compounds, Sc(6)AgTe(2), Sc(6)Cu(0.80(2))Te(2.20(2)), and Sc(6)CdTe(2), were prepared by high-temperature solid state techniques, and the structures were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction to be orthorhombic, Pnma (No. 62, Z = 4) with a = 20.094(9) A, 19.853(5) A, 20.08(1) A, b = 3.913(1) A, 3.914(1) A, 3.915(2) A, and c = 10.688(2) A, 10.644(2) A, 10.679(5) A, respectively, at 23 degrees C. The compounds are isotypic with Sc(6)PdTe(2) and represent the first ternary metal-rich rare-earth-metal chalcogenides containing group 11 or group 12 elements. The structure can be viewed as heterometal sheets lying parallel to the b-c planes that are separated by isolated tellurium atoms. These sheets can also be viewed as a polymerization of two different types of metal chains in Sc(2)Te (blades and zigzag chains) by heterometal (M) replacements of some intervening tellurium atoms. Extended Hückel band calculations reveal that the interior atoms in the metal network achieve negative formal Mulliken charges while Sc atoms on the exterior that have tellurium neighbors have positive values. The heterometal-metal bonding enhances the overlap populations of zigzag chains and blades relative to those in Sc(2)Te. The calculation results also indicate that these compounds are metallic, as usual.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, USA.
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: John D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Corbett