Electronegativity and chemical hardness of elements under pressure

Abstract

Significance Over the years, many unusual chemical phenomena have been discovered at high pressures, yet our understanding of them is still very fragmentary. Our paper addresses this from the fundamental level by exploring the key chemical properties of atoms—electronegativity and chemical hardness—as a function of pressure. We have made an appropriate modification to the definition of Mulliken electronegativity to extend its applicability to high pressures. The change in atomic properties, which we observe, allows us to provide a unified framework explaining (and predicting) many chemical phenomena and the altered behavior of many elements under pressure.