On the effect of Ga and In substitutions in the Ca11Bi10and Yb11Bi10bismuthides crystallizing in the tetragonal Ho11Ge10structure type

Abstract

The Ga- and In-substituted bismuthides Ca11GaxBi10–x, Ca11InxBi10–x, Yb11GaxBi10–x, and Yb11InxBi10–x(x< 2) can be readily synthesized employing molten Ga or In metals as fluxes. They crystallize in the tetragonal space groupI4/mmmand adopt the Ho11Ge10structure type (Pearson codetI84; Wyckoff sequencen2m j h2e2d). The structural response to the substitution of Bi with smaller and electron-poorer In or Ga has been studied by single-crystal X-ray diffraction methods for the case of Ca11InxBi10–x[x= 1.73 (2); octabismuth undecacalcium diindium]. The refinements show that the In atoms substitute Bi only at the 8hsite. The refined interatomic distances show an unconventional – for this structure type – bond-length distribution within the anionic sublattice. The latter can be viewed as consisting of isolated Bi3−anions and [In4Bi820−] clusters for the idealized Ca11In2Bi8model. Formal electron counting and first-principle calculations show that the peculiar bonding in this compound drives the system toward an electron-precise state, thereby stabilizing the observed bond-length pattern.