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Pressure-induced bonding and compound formation in xenon–hydrogen solids

Nature Chemistry volume 2, pages 50–53 (2010)Cite this article

Abstract

Closed electron shell systems, such as hydrogen, nitrogen or group 18 elements, can form weakly bound stoichiometric compounds at high pressures. An understanding of the stability of these van der Waals compounds is lacking, as is information on the nature of their interatomic interactions. We describe the formation of a stable compound in the Xe–H2 binary system, revealed by a suite of X-ray diffraction and optical spectroscopy measurements. At 4.8 GPa, a unique hydrogen-rich structure forms that can be viewed as a tripled solid hydrogen lattice modulated by layers of xenon, consisting of xenon dimers. Varying the applied pressure tunes the Xe–Xe distances in the solid over a broad range from that of an expanded xenon lattice to the distances observed in metallic xenon at megabar pressures. Infrared and Raman spectra indicate a weakening of the intramolecular covalent bond as well as persistence of semiconducting behaviour in the compound to at least 255 GPa.

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Figure 1: X-ray single-crystal diffraction of Xe–H2 compound.
Figure 2: Raman and infrared spectra of Xe–H2.
Figure 3: Model structure of Xe(H2)7.
Figure 4: Changes in the electron density of xenon.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank V. V. Struzhkin, G. Shen, Y. Meng and S. Sinogeikin for assistance and discussions. This work was supported by DOE-BES (DE-FG02-06ER46280), DOE-NNSA (CDAC), NSF-DMR (DMR-0805056), NSF-EAR (COMPRES) and the Balzan Foundation. A.P.S. is supported by DOE-BES under contract DE-AC02-06CH11357 and N.S.L.S. is supported by DOE-BES under contract no. DE-AC02-98CH10886.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC, USA

    Maddury Somayazulu, Alexander F. Goncharov, Stephen A. Gramsch, Zhenxian Liu, Ho-kwang Mao & Russell J. Hemley

  2. Consortium for Advanced Radiation Sources, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA

    Przemyslaw Dera

  3. HPCAT, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne, Illinois, USA

    Peter Liermann, Wenge Yang & Ho-kwang Mao

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  1. Maddury Somayazulu
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Contributions

M.S. and R.J.H. designed the project. M.S., A.F.G. and S.A.G. conducted the sample loading, spectroscopic studies and analysis. M.S., P.D., P.L., W.Y. and H.K.M. conducted the synchrotron X-ray diffraction measurements and analysis. Z.L. performed the synchrotron IR measurements. M.S., P.D., R.J.H., A.F.G. and S.A.G. wrote the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Maddury Somayazulu.

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Somayazulu, M., Dera, P., Goncharov, A. et al. Pressure-induced bonding and compound formation in xenon–hydrogen solids. Nature Chem 2, 50–53 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nchem.445

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