Hg2SeO4

Hg2SeO4 is a semiconducting mercury selenate compound that is considered thermodynamically stable enough to be a viable target for laboratory synthesis.

HgOSe
Crystal structure of Hg2SeO4 (monoclinic, P2/c (No. 13))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About Hg2SeO4

Hg2SeO4 is a mercury-based selenate compound characterized by its semiconducting electronic nature. Its structural arrangement and chemical composition place it as a distinct entry within inorganic selenate chemistry, reflecting the complex bonding environments typical of mercury-oxygen-selenium systems.

Because this material is identified as near-hull, it is considered a promising candidate for experimental synthesis and further characterization. The existence of multiple reported structures across databases underscores its significance as a subject of interest for researchers investigating stable mercury-containing compounds.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for Hg2SeO4, aggregated across 3 databases.

Band Gap

1.09–1.73 eV
Range across DFT structures · ground state: wide gap

Energy Above Hull

0.013 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

Near Hull
3 DFT sources

Structures

6
3 databases, 1 space group
Validation

Cross-Source DFT Agreement

How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of Hg2SeO4. Tight agreement means computed properties can be trusted without re-running calculations.

Agreement Score

0.76 / 1.00
Trust tier: medium

Hull Spread

0.060 eV
EAH spread across sources

Sources Compared

3
jarvis, materials_project, oqmd

Space Group Consensus

All match
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for Hg2SeO4, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
——1.090.0133-0.727—
P2/c (No. 13)monoclinic1.440.0162-4.3306.55
——1.100.0501-0.691—
P2/c (No. 13)monoclinic1.730.0732-0.443—
P2/c (No. 13)monoclinic———7.30
P2/c (No. 13)monoclinic———6.55
P2/c (No. 13)monoclinic———7.06
P2/c (No. 13)monoclinic———6.74
Uses

Applications

Where Hg2SeO4 is used.

Materials science researchSolid-state chemistry studies
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Hg2SeO4, answered from cross-validated data.

What is Hg2SeO4?

Hg2SeO4 is a semiconducting mercury selenate compound that is considered thermodynamically stable enough to be a viable target for laboratory synthesis.

More questions
What is Hg2SeO4 used for?
Hg2SeO4 is used in materials science research and solid-state chemistry studies.
What is the band gap of Hg2SeO4?
Hg2SeO4 has a DFT-computed band gap of 1.09–1.73 eV across 6 reported structures. Standard DFT underestimates band gaps, so the measured gap is typically larger.
Is Hg2SeO4 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
DFT predicts a band gap of up to 1.73 eV (a semiconductor). Measured gaps are typically larger.
Is Hg2SeO4 thermodynamically stable?
Hg2SeO4 has a lowest energy above hull of 0.013 eV/atom (near hull).
What is the crystal structure of Hg2SeO4?
The reference structure of Hg2SeO4 is monoclinic symmetry, space group P2/c (No. 13).
What is the density of Hg2SeO4?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of Hg2SeO4 is 6.55 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of Hg2SeO4 are known?
6 structures of Hg2SeO4 are reported across 3 databases, spanning 1 distinct space group.
What elements does Hg2SeO4 contain?
Hg2SeO4 contains Hg, O, and Se (3 elements).
Where does the data for Hg2SeO4 come from?
Hg2SeO4 data is cross-referenced from oqmd, materials_project, jarvis, cod, mpaloe.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a unique mercury selenate, this compound serves as a critical reference point for understanding the structural diversity and electronic behavior of mercury-based oxoanion materials, providing a baseline for future studies in this chemical space.

Data sources & attribution
  • oqmd — Data from the OQMD (oqmd.org). Cite: Saal et al., JOM 65, 1501 (2013); Kirklin et al., npj Comp. Mater. 1, 15010 (2015). (CC-BY-4.0)
  • materials_project — Data from the Materials Project (materialsproject.org). Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013). (CC-BY-4.0)
  • jarvis — Data from JARVIS (jarvis.nist.gov), NIST. Cite: Choudhary et al., npj Comp. Mater. 6, 173 (2020). (LicenseRef-US-Gov-PD)
  • cod — Data from the Crystallography Open Database (crystallography.net/cod/). Cite: Grazulis et al., J. Appl. Cryst. 42, 726 (2009). (CC0-1.0)
  • mpaloe — Data from MP-ALOE. Cite: Kuner et al., npj Comput. Mater. (2025), doi:10.1038/s41524-025-01834-9.

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