Substantial
Cd–Cd Bonding in Ca<sub>6</sub>PtCd<sub>11</sub>: A Condensed
Intermetallic Phase Built of Pentagonal
Cd<sub>7</sub> and Rectangular Cd<sub>4/2</sub>Pt Pyramids
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Abstract
The
novel intermetallic Ca<sub>6</sub>PtCd<sub>11</sub> is orthorhombic, <i>Pnma</i>, <i>Z</i> = 4, with <i>a</i> =
18.799(2) Å, <i>b</i> = 5.986(1) Å, <i>c</i> = 15.585(3) Å. The heavily condensed network contains three
types of parallel cadmium chains: apically strongly interbonded Cd<sub>7</sub> pentagonal bipyramids, linear Cd arrays, and rectangular
Cd<sub>4/2</sub>Pt pyramids. All of the atoms have 11–13 neighbors.
Calculations by means of the linear muffin-tin orbitals method in
the atomic spheres approximation indicate that some Cd–Cd interactions
correspond to notably high Hamilton populations (1.07 eV per average
bond) whereas the Ca–Ca covalent interactions (integrated crystal
orbital Hamiltonian population) are particularly small (0.17 eV/bond).
(Pt–Cd interactions are individually greater but much less
in aggregate.) The Ca–Ca separations are small, appreciably
less than the single bond metallic diameters, and unusually uniform
(Δ = 0.14 Å). The Cd atoms make major contributions to
the stability of the phase via substantial 5s and 5p bonding, which
include back-donation of Cd 5s, 5p and Pt 5d into Ca 3d states in
the principal bonding modes for Ca–Cd and Ca–Pt. Bonding
Ca–Ca, Ca–Cd, and Cd–Cd states remain above <i>E</i><sub>F</sub>, and some relative oxidation of Ca in this
structure seems probable. Ca<sub>6</sub>PtCd<sub>11</sub> joins a
small group of other phases in which Cd clustering and Cd–Cd
bonding are important