Zintl and intermetallic phases grown from calcium/lithium flux

Metal flux synthes is a useful alternative method to high temperature solid state synthesis; it allows easy diffusion of reactants at lower temperatures, and presents favorable conditions for crystal growth. A mixed flux of calcium and lithium in a 1:1 ratio was explored in this work; this mixture melts at 300°C and is an excellent solvent for main group elements and CaH 2. Reactions of p-block elements in a 1:1 Ca/Li flux have produced several new intermetallic and Zintl phases. Electronegative elements from groups 14 and 15 are reduced to anions in this flux, yielding charge-balanced products. More electropositive metals from group 13 are not fully reduced; the resulting products are complex intermetallics.;The reactions of tin or lead and carbon in Ca/Li flux produced the analogous phases Ca11Tt3C8 (Tt = Sn, Pb) in the monoclinic C21/c space group (a = 13.2117(8) A, b =10.7029(7) A, c = 14.2493(9) A, beta = 105.650(1)° for the Sn analog). These compounds are carbide Zintl phases that includes the rare combination of C3 4- and C22- units as well as Sn4- or Pb4- anions. Ca/Li flux reactions of CaH2 and arsenic have produced the Zintl phases LiCa3As 2H in orthorhombic Pnma (a = 11.4064(7), b = 4.2702(3), c = 11.8762(8) A), and Ca 13As6C0.46N1.155H6.045in tetragonal P4/mbm (a = 15.7493(15), c = 9.1062(9) A). The complex stoichiometry of the latter phase was caused by incorporation of light element contaminants and was studied by neutron diffraction, showing mixing of anionic sites to achieve charge balance.;Ca/Li flux reactions with group 13 metals have resulted in several new intermetallic phases. Reactions of indium and CaH2 in the Ca/Li flux (with or without boron) formed Ca53In13B4-x H23+x(2.4 < x < 4.0) in cubic space group Im-3 (a = 16.3608(6) A) which features metallic indium atoms and ionic hydride sites. The electronic properties of this "subhydride" were confirmed by 1H and 115In NMR spectroscopy. Attempts to replace boron with carbon yielded Ca12InC13-x , (Im-3, a = 9.6055(8)A) which contains C 34- units. A very similar phase, Ba12InC 18H4 (Im-3,a = 11.1415(8) A), was grown from the reaction of indium, carbon, and LiH in Ba/Li flux. This compound also includes C34- units. Preliminary Ca/Li flux reactions of aluminum with other main group elements have produced several new phases: a hydride clathrate Ca31Al2H25 in cubic Fd-3m (a=18.0835(15) A), Ca24Al2(C 1-xHx)N2H16 in tetragonal P42/nmc (a=15.9069(12) A, c=13.7323(10) A, and Ca 4Al2N5 in orthorhombic Pna21 (a = 11.2331(1) A, b=9.0768(8) A, c=6.0093(5) A.