title: Synthesis of β-Mg(2)C(3): a monoclinic high-pressure polymorph of magnesium sesquicarbide.
abstract: A new monoclinic variation of Mg2C3 was synthesized from the elements under high-pressure (HP), high-temperature (HT) conditions. Formation of the new compound, which can be recovered to ambient conditions, was observed in situ using X-ray diffraction with synchrotron radiation. The structural solution was achieved by utilizing accurate theoretical results obtained from ab initio evolutionary structure prediction algorithm USPEX. Like the previously known orthorhombic Pnnm structure (α-Mg2C3), the new monoclinic C2/m structure (β-Mg2C3) contains linear C3(4-) chains that are isoelectronic with CO2. Unlike α-Mg2C3, which contains alternating layers of C3(4-) chains oriented in opposite directions, all C3(4-) chains within β-Mg2C3 are nearly aligned along the crystallographic c-axis. Hydrolysis of β-Mg2C3 yields C3H4, as detected by mass spectrometry, while Raman and NMR measurements show clear C═C stretching near 1200 cm(-1) and (13)C resonances confirming the presence of the rare allylenide anion.
authors.affiliation: Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington , 5251 Broad Branch Road Northwest, Washington, D.C. 20015, United States.
authors.forename: Timothy A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Strobel
authors.forename: Oleksandr O
authors.initials: OO
authors.lastname: Kurakevych
authors.forename: Duck Young
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Yann
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Le Godec
authors.forename: Wilson
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Crichton
authors.forename: Jérémy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Guignard
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Guignot
authors.forename: George D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Cody
authors.forename: Artem R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Oganov