Homoatomic Zintl ions (for example, [Ge9]4−; see picture, left) have long been discussed as precursors for the formation of more complicated structures. The characterization of “□24Ge136” with the (unfilled) clathrate-II structure (right; orange, gray, yellow: pentagonal dodecahedra, pink: hexakaidecahedra) and other porous germanium-based materials supports this hypothesis.
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Thomas F. Fässler (2007) studied this question.
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