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Title: A stable compound of helium and sodium at high pressure

Journal Article · · Nature Chemistry
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/nchem.2716· OSTI ID:1357332
 [1]; ORCiD logo [2];  [3];  [4];  [5];  [6];  [7];  [7];  [8];  [9];  [9]; ORCiD logo [10];  [11];  [12]; ORCiD logo [13];  [14];  [15]
  1. Nankai Univ., Tianjin (China); Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research, Beijing (China); Stony Brook Univ., Stony Brook, NY (United States)
  2. Stony Brook Univ., Stony Brook, NY (United States); Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Moscow (Russia); Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Moscow Region (Russia); Northwestern Polytechnical Univ., Xi'an (China); Carnegie Institute of Washington, Washington, D.C. (United States)
  3. Chinese Academy of Sciences, Anhui (China)
  4. Carnegie Institute of Washington, Washington, D.C. (United States); Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
  5. Carnegie Institute of Washington, Washington, D.C. (United States); Siberian Branch Russian Academy of Science, Novosibirsk (Russia)
  6. Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Moscow Region (Russia)
  7. Stony Brook Univ., Stony Brook, NY (United States)
  8. Univ. di Milano, Milan (Italy)
  9. RWTH Aachen Univ., Aachen (Germany)
  10. Nankai Univ., Tianjin (China); Stony Brook Univ., Stony Brook, NY (United States)
  11. Univ. of Chicago, Chicago, IL (United States)
  12. Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg (Germany)
  13. Utah State Univ., Logan, UT (United States); RUDN Univ., Moscow (Russia)
  14. Utah State Univ., Logan, UT (United States)
  15. Nankai Univ., Tianjin (China); Nanjing Univ., Nanjing (China)

Helium is generally understood to be chemically inert and this is due to its extremely stable closed-shell electronic configuration, zero electron affinity and an unsurpassed ionization potential. It is not known to form thermodynamically stable compounds, except a few inclusion compounds. Here, using the ab initio evolutionary algorithm USPEX and subsequent high-pressure synthesis in a diamond anvil cell, we report the discovery of a thermodynamically stable compound of helium and sodium, Na2He, which has a fluorite-type structure and is stable at pressures >113 GPa. We show that the presence of He atoms causes strong electron localization and makes this material insulating. This phase is an electride, with electron pairs localized in interstices, forming eight-centre two-electron bonds within empty Na8 cubes. As a result, we also predict the existence of Na2HeO with a similar structure at pressures above 15 GPa.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
AC52-07NA27344
OSTI ID:
1357332
Report Number(s):
LLNL-JRNL-680457
Journal Information:
Nature Chemistry, Vol. 9, Issue 5; ISSN 1755-4330
Publisher:
Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 233 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Cited By (58)

References book June 2018
Metal-to-Semiconductor Transition and Electronic Dimensionality Reduction of Ca 2 N Electride under Pressure journal September 2018
Prediction of Fluorooxoborates with Colossal Second Harmonic Generation (SHG) Coefficients and Extremely Wide Band Gaps: Towards Modulating Properties by Tuning the BO 3 /BO 3 F Ratio in Layers journal July 2019
Prediction of Fluorooxoborates with Colossal Second Harmonic Generation (SHG) Coefficients and Extremely Wide Band Gaps: Towards Modulating Properties by Tuning the BO 3 /BO 3 F Ratio in Layers journal July 2019
Stable NCNgNSi (Ng=Kr, Xe, Rn) Compounds with Covalently Bound C-Ng-N Unit: Possible Isomerization of NCNSi through the Release of the Noble Gas Atom journal January 2018
Boron Nanowheels with Axles Containing Noble Gas Atoms: Viable Noble Gas Bound M©B 10 Clusters (M=Nb, Ta) journal February 2018
Quantum Crystallography: Current Developments and Future Perspectives journal July 2018
Metal Cluster Electrides: A New Type of Molecular Electride with Delocalised Polyattractor Character journal June 2018
Inorganic Molecular Electride Mg 4 O 3 : Structure, Bonding, and Nonlinear Optical Properties journal March 2019
Electron Density Studies in Materials Research journal September 2019
How and Why Does Helium Permeate Nonporous Arsenolite Under High Pressure? journal February 2018
Molecular dynamics study of a new metastable allotropic crystalline form of gallium—supertetrahedral gallium journal April 2019
Noble‐Noble Strong Union: Gold at Its Best to Make a Bond with a Noble Gas Atom journal January 2019
Dieter Cremer's contribution to the field of theoretical chemistry journal January 2019
Theoretical predictions of the nitrogen heterocyclic compounds with metal and noble gas (metal = Cu, Ag, Au) journal May 2019
Can quantum ideas explain chemistry’s greatest icon? journal January 2019
Route to high-energy density polymeric nitrogen t-N via He−N compounds journal February 2018
Reactivity of He with ionic compounds under high pressure journal March 2018
Identifying quasi-2D and 1D electrides in yttrium and scandium chlorides via geometrical identification journal December 2018
Two-dimensional Na–Cl crystals of unconventional stoichiometries on graphene surface from dilute solution at ambient conditions journal May 2018
Multiple superionic states in helium–water compounds journal July 2019
Structure prediction drives materials discovery journal April 2019
An aromatic noble-gas hydride: C6H5CCXeH journal June 2017
Electrostatic force driven helium insertion into ammonia and water crystals under pressure journal September 2019
Exotic species with explicit noble metal–noble gas–noble metal linkages journal January 2018
Computational evaluation of metal pentazolate frameworks: inorganic analogues of azolate metal–organic frameworks journal January 2018
Cyanide–isocyanide isomerization: stability and bonding in noble gas inserted metal cyanides (metal = Cu, Ag, Au) journal January 2018
Unraveling the highest oxidation states of actinides in solid-state compounds with a particular focus on plutonium journal January 2019
OBCN isomerization and noble gas insertion compounds of identical valence electron number species: stability and bonding journal January 2019
First steps towards a stable neon compound: observation and bonding analysis of [B 12 (CN) 11 Ne] journal January 2020
Kinetic boundaries and phase transformations of ice i at high pressure journal January 2018
Construction of a hybrid clamped cell for high-pressure neutron-diffraction experiments with a large diamond window journal February 2019
High-temperature superconductivity in alkaline and rare earth polyhydrides at high pressure: A theoretical perspective journal February 2019
Helium-hydrogen immiscibility at high pressures journal March 2019
High-pressure integrated synchrotron infrared spectroscopy system at the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility journal September 2019
Old puzzle of incommensurate crystal structure of calaverite AuTe 2 and predicted stability of novel AuTe compound journal September 2018
Computational study of the electronic spectra of the rare gas fluorohydrides HRgF (Rg = Ar, Kr, Xe, Rn) journal February 2018
Ground-state structures, physical properties and phase diagram of carbon-rich nitride C 5 N journal August 2018
Half-metallicity in uranium intermetallics: crystal structure prediction of a high-pressure phase of UCo journal December 2018
Novel high-pressure calcium carbonates journal July 2018
Helium-Iron Compounds at Terapascal Pressures journal July 2018
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Prediction of pressure-induced stabilization of noble-gas-atom compounds with alkali oxides and alkali sulfides journal January 2019
Na2He: a stable compound of helium and sodium at high pressure. dataset January 2017
An essay on periodic tables journal December 2019
How Far Can One Push the Noble Gases Towards Bonding?: A Personal Account journal August 2019
Na2He: a stable compound of helium and sodium at high pressure. dataset January 2018
Electrostatic force driven helium insertion into ammonia and water crystals under pressure text January 2019
Quantum Crystallography: Current Developments and Future Perspectives text January 2018
Structure Prediction Drives Materials Discovery text January 2019
Helium-Iron Compounds at Terapascal Pressures. text January 2018
Multiple superionic states in helium–water compounds text January 2019
First steps towards a stable neon compound: observation and bonding analysis of [B 12 (CN) 11 Ne] − text January 2020
Prediction of pressure-induced stabilization of noble-gas-atom compounds with alkali oxides and alkali sulfides text January 2014
Novel high-pressure calcium carbonates text January 2017
Old puzzle of incommensurate crystal structure of calaverite AuTe$_2$ and predicted stability of novel AuTe compound text January 2018
Prediction of the Reactivity of Argon with Xenon under High Pressures journal August 2019
Advances in molecular mechanism of cardioprotection induced by helium journal January 2017

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