Nature of the bond in intermetallic compounds

Abstract By studying 398 binary compounds crystallizing in five different crystal structures, it is shown that atomic radii of the elements R A and R B change to reach a constant radius ratio r A / r B ( ≡ ϒ ) in a cubic system. In systems of lower symmetry, a range of ϒ values, each corresponding to a certain axial ratio, is possible. Accurate charge values on atoms in solids are derived from the experimental internal radii r A and r B , using Shannon’s compilation of radii versus charge states for elements. It is found, for the first time, that charge transfer and radii change reverse their direction at the ϒ point. Electronegativity difference relative to its value at the ϒ point is recognized to correctly predict the charge transfer and radii changes with R A / R B . The deduced electronic structure of solids, based on spherical ions carrying partial charges, confirms that the metallic atom-pair bond is a resonating polar covalent bond. Identification of the number of electrons that contribute to cohesion and electrical conduction individually, allows successful prediction of electrical conductivity variation for transition metals and p-elements in the periodic table. From a knowledge of accurate valence of elements and of charge on the atoms, variation in the 197 Au isomer shift of the gold compounds of CsCl type structure is predicted. The charges on atoms computed using the Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules (QTAIM) technique agree with those obtained in our work for compounds belonging to two of the structure types. For compounds belonging to the other three, the charge values obtained by the two methods do not agree. The disagreement correlates to not reckoning the role of the ϒ point. The effect of ϒ point is so fundamental and universal that most physical properties obtained by the secondary processing of primary DFT data, can be influenced by it.