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Donald E Ellis

Publications and source records attributed to Donald E Ellis.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

A structural analysis of lead hydroxyvanadinite.

Hydroxyvanadinite, Pb(10)(VO(4))(6)(OH)(2), was prepared by the co-precipitation method and analyzed by X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XANES, EXAFS), infrared spectroscopy, Raman scattering and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results showed that the structure is very similar to that of vanadinite, Pb(10)(VO(4))(6)Cl(2), with space group P6(3)/m (176) and cell parameters a = 10.2242(3) A and c = 7.4537(2) A. A Rietveld refinement of the structure was performed using vanadinite as the starting model and fixing the geometry of the vanadate ion as a rigid body. First-principles Density Functional embedded cluster models are developed to analyze electronic structures, bonding, and densities of states. Interaction of Pb with the OH channel anion is examined in detail, as an important structural feature. A periodic band structure approach was used to obtain a further estimate of relaxed atomic coordinates.

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Synthesis and structural characterization of some selenoruthenates and telluroruthenates.

The reaction of solid [RuClCp(PPh(3))(2)] with TeSe(3)(2-) or Se(n)(2-) in DMF leads to the formation of [RuCp(PPh(3))(mu(2)-Se(2))](2) (1). In the structure of this compound the two bridging Se(2) groups lead to a six-membered Ru(2)Se(4) ring in a chair conformation. Attached to each Ru center is a PPh(3) ligand in an equatorial position and a Cp ring in an axial position. The compound is diamagnetic. The compound [Ru(2)Cp(2)(mu(3)-Se(2))(mu(3)-Se)](2) (2) is obtained under similar conditions in the presence of air. This structure comprises a centrosymmetric Ru(4)Se(6) dimer formed from the two bridging Se groups and the two bridging Se(2) groups. Each Ru center is pi-bonded to a Cp ring. The reaction of solid [RuClCp(PPh(3))(2)] with a Te(n)(2-) polytelluride solution in DMF leads to the diamagnetic compound [(RuCp(PPh(3)))(2)(mu(2)-(1,4-eta:3,6-eta)Te(6))] (3). Here the Ru centers are bound to a bridging Te(6) chain at the 1, 4, 3, and 6 positions, leading to a bicyclic Ru(2)Te(6) ring. Each Ru atom is bound to a Cp ring and a PPh(3) group. This dimer possesses a center of symmetry. The structure of 3 is the first example of a bicyclic complex where fusion occurs along a Te-Te bond. If the same reaction is carried out in DMF/CH(2)Cl(2), rather than DMF, then [(RuCp(PPh(3)))(2)(mu(2)-(1,4-eta:3,6-eta)Te(6))].CH(2)Cl(2) (4) is obtained. In the solid state it possesses the same Ru(2)Te(6) structural unit as does 3, but the unit lacks a crystallographically imposed center of symmetry. The electronic structures of 3 and 4 have been analyzed with the use of first principles density functional theory. Bond order analysis indicates that the Te-Te bond where fusion occurs has a shared bonding charge of about (2)/(3) of that found for Te-Te single bonds.

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Syntheses, structure, some band gaps, and electronic structures of CsLnZnTe3 (Ln=La, Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Y).

Eleven new quaternary rare-earth tellurides, CsLnZnTe3 (Ln=La, Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, and Y), were prepared from solid-state reactions at 1123 K. These isostructural materials crystallize in the layered KZrCuS3 structure type in the orthorhombic space group Cmcm. The structure is composed of LnTe6 octahedra and ZnTe4 tetrahedra that share edges to form [LnZnTe3] layers. These layers stack perpendicular to [010] and are separated by layers of face- and edge-sharing CsTe8 bicapped trigonal prisms. There are no Te-Te bonds in the structure of these CsLnZnTe3 compounds so the formal oxidation states of Cs/Ln/Zn/Te are 1+/3+/2+/2-. Optical band gaps of 2.13 eV for CsGdZnTe3 and 2.12 eV for CsTbZnTe3 were deduced from single-crystal optical absorption measurements. A first-principles calculation of the density of states and the frequency-dependent optical properties was performed on CsGdZnTe3. The calculated band gap of 2.1 eV is in good agreement with the experimental value. A quadratic fit for the lanthanide contraction of the Ln-Te distance is superior to a linear one if the closed-shell atom is included.

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Structural analysis of porphyrin molecular squares using molecular mechanics and density-functional methods.

"Molecular squares" formed from Re(CO)(3)Cl corners and porphyrin sides have potential applications as hosts for catalytic sites and as building blocks for membranes. In these materials, knowledge of the conformations of the squares is important. Molecular-mechanics (MM) and density-functional (DF) calculations have been used iteratively in this work to find the minimum-energy configurations of several porphyrin molecular squares. MM predicts that the steric and torsional interactions at connecting junctures of the square framework determine the overall geometry. Torsional degrees of freedom around these junctures were therefore analyzed using DF methods, giving further insight and helping choose among MM force-field options. Single-point DF calculations on the entire squares showed that the energy and conformation of the entire square could be reliably obtained by performing DF calculations on the critical elements of the square and then piecing them together. This "piecewise" strategy allows for both the major torsional motions and the most important local relaxations of large supramolecular species such as molecular squares.

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Surface structures of SrTiO3 (001): a TiO2-rich reconstruction with a c(4 x 2) unit cell.

We report the solution of the c(4 x 2) reconstruction of SrTiO(3) (001), obtained through a combination of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, direct methods analysis, and density functional theory. The structure is characterized by a single overlayer of TiO(2) stoichiometry in which TiO(5) polyhedra are arranged into edge-shared structures, in contrast to the corner-shared TiO(6) polyhedra in bulk. This structural pattern is similar to that reported by us earlier for the (2 x 1) reconstruction of the same crystal face formed at higher temperature. We discuss probable mechanisms of surface stabilization as revealed by these two solutions which are likely to apply to other reconstructions of SrTiO(3) (001) and, possibly, other perovskites in general.

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New quaternary bismuth sulfides: syntheses, structures, and band structures of AMBiS4 (A = Rb, Cs; M = Si, Ge).

Four new compounds, RbSiBiS(4), RbGeBiS(4), CsSiBiS(4), and CsGeBiS(4), have been synthesized by means of the reactive flux method. The isostructural compounds RbSiBiS(4), RbGeBiS(4), and CsGeBiS(4) crystallize in space group P2(1)/c of the monoclinic system with four formula units in cells of dimensions at 153 K of a = 6.4714(4) A, b = 6.7999(4) A, c = 17.9058(11) A, and beta = 108.856(1) degrees for RbSiBiS(4), a = 6.5864(4) A, b = 6.8559(4) A, c = 17.9810(12) A, and beta = 109.075(1) degrees for RbGeBiS(4), and a = 6.5474(4) A, b = 6.9282(4) A, c = 18.8875(11) A, and beta = 110.173(1) degrees for CsGeBiS(4). CsSiBiS(4) crystallizes in a different structure type in space group P2(1)/c of the monoclinic system with four formula units in a cell of dimensions at 153 K of a = 9.3351(7) A, b = 6.9313(5) A, c = 12.8115(10) A, and beta = 109.096(1) degrees. The two structure types are closely related and consist of [MBiS(4)(-)] (M = Si, Ge) layers separated by bicapped trigonal-prismatically coordinated alkali-metal atoms. In each, the M atom is coordinated to a tetrahedron of four S atoms and the Bi atom is coordinated to seven S atoms comprising five close S atoms at the corners of a square pyramid with Bi near the center of the basal plane and the sixth and seventh S atoms further away to complete a distorted monocapped trigonal prism. The optical band gaps of 2.23 eV for RbGeBiS(4) and 2.28 eV for CsGeBiS(4) were deduced from their diffuse reflectance spectra. From a band structure calculation, the optical absorption for RbGeBiS(4) originates from the [GeBiS(4)(-)] layer. The Ge 4p orbitals, Bi 6p orbitals, and S 3p orbitals are highly hybridized.

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New layered rubidium rare-earth selenides: syntheses, structures, physical properties, and electronic structures for RbLnSe(2).

The compounds RbLnSe(2) (Ln = La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd, Tb, Ho, Er, Lu) have been synthesized by means of the reactive flux method at 1173 K. These isostructural compounds, which have the alpha-NaFeO(2) structure type, crystallize with three formula units in space group D(3d)(5)-R(-)3m of the trigonal system in cells at T = 153 K of dimensions (a, c in A) La, 4.4313(4), 23.710(3); Ce, 4.3873(3), 23.656(3); Pr, 4.3524(11), 23.655(7); Nd, 4.3231(5), 23.670(4); Sm, 4.2799(4), 23.647(3); Gd, 4.2473(7), 23.689(5); Tb, 4.2197(4), 23.631(3); Ho, 4.1869(6), 23.652(5); Er, 4.1541(8), 23.576(7); Lu, 4.1294(6), 23.614(5). The structure consists of close-packed Se layers in a pseudocubic structure distorted along [111]. The Rb and Ln atoms occupy distorted octahedral sites in alternating layers. The Rb-centered octahedra share edges with the Ln-centered octahedra between layers. Within a given layer, both the Rb-centered and Ln-centered octahedra share edges with themselves. RbTbSe(2) and RbErSe(2) exhibit Curie-Weiss paramagnetism between 5 and 300 K, and RbCeSe(2) exhibits Curie-Weiss paramagnetism between 100 and 300 K. The optical transitions for RbCeSe(2), RbTbSe(2), and RbErSe(2) are in the 2.0-2.2 eV region of the spectrum, both from diffuse reflectance spectra and from first-principles calculations. These calculations also provide insight into the electronic structures and chemical bonding in RbLnSe(2). A quadratic fit for the lanthanide contraction of the Ln-Se distance is superior to the linear one only if the closed-shell atoms La and Lu are included.

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The structure and chemistry of the TiO(2)-rich surface of SrTiO(3) (001).

Oxide surfaces are important for applications in catalysis and thin film growth. An important frontier in solid-state inorganic chemistry is the prediction of the surface structure of an oxide. Comparatively little is known about atomic arrangements at oxide surfaces at present, and there has been considerable discussion concerning the forces that control such arrangements. For instance, one model suggests that the dominant factor is a reduction of Coulomb forces; another favours minimization of 'dangling bonds' by charge transfer to states below the Fermi energy. The surface structure and properties of SrTiO(3)--a standard model for oxides with a perovskite structure--have been studied extensively. Here we report a solution of the 2 x 1 SrTiO(3) (001) surface structure obtained through a combination of high-resolution electron microscopy and theoretical direct methods. Our results indicate that surface rearrangement of TiO(6-x) units into edge-sharing blocks determines the SrO-deficient surface structure of SrTiO(3). We suggest that this structural concept can be extended to perovskite surfaces in general.

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