Studies on bond and atomic valences. I. correlation between bond valence and bond angles in SbIII chalcogen compounds: the influence of lone-electron pairs

Abstract

In the present bond-valence concept the bond-valence parameter ro is treated as constant for a given pair of atoms, and it is assumed that the bond valence sij is a function of the corresponding bond length Dij , and that the atomic valence is an integer equal to the formal oxidation number for Vi derived from stoichiometry. However, from a statistical analysis of 76 [SbIIIS n ] and 14 [SbIIISe n ] polyhedra in experimentally determined structures, it is shown that for SbIII—X bonds (X = S, Se), ro is correlated with {\bar \alpha} i , the average of the X—Sb—X angles between the three shortest Sb—X bonds. This is interpreted as a consequence of a progressive retraction of the 5s lone-electron pair from the SbIII nucleus, which can be considered as continuous change of the actual atomic valence act Vi of Sb from +3 towards +5. A procedure is derived to calculate an effective atomic valence eff Vi of SbIII from the geometry, {\bar \alpha} i and Dij , of the [SbIII Xn ] polyhedra, which approximates act Vi and is a better description of the actual valence state of SbIII than the formal valence for Vi . Calculated eff V SbIII are found to vary between +2.88 and +3.80 v.u. for [SbIIIS n ] and between +2.98 and +3.88 v.u. for [SbIIISe n ] polyhedra. It is suggested that a corresponding modification of the present bond-valence concept is also required for other cations with lone-electron pairs.