Hg3Se4O5

Hg3Se4O5 is a metastable, semiconducting mercury selenium oxide used primarily in fundamental materials research.

HgOSe
Crystal structure of Hg3Se4O5 (triclinic, P-1 (No. 2))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About Hg3Se4O5

Hg3Se4O5 is a complex mercury selenium oxide that exhibits semiconducting electronic behavior. As a metastable phase, it represents a unique configuration within the mercury-chalcogen-oxygen chemical space, offering researchers a distinct structural profile for investigation. Its existence is documented across multiple structural databases, highlighting its significance in solid-state chemistry studies. The material is primarily utilized in academic research settings to better understand the coordination environments of mercury in complex oxide frameworks. By exploring its metastable nature, scientists can gain insights into the synthesis and stability limits of mercury-based compounds, which is vital for developing specialized electronic or optical materials.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for Hg3Se4O5, aggregated across 3 databases.

Band Gap

1.71–1.95 eV
Range across DFT structures · ground state: narrow gap

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

Stable
3 DFT sources

Structures

5
3 databases, 1 space group
Validation

Cross-Source DFT Agreement

How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of Hg3Se4O5. Tight agreement means computed properties can be trusted without re-running calculations.

Agreement Score

0.80 / 1.00
Trust tier: high

Hull Spread

0.049 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 Hg3Se4O5, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
——1.950.0000-0.684—
P-1 (No. 2)triclinic1.710.0000-0.478—
P-1 (No. 2)triclinic1.830.0493-4.1276.32
P-1 (No. 2)triclinic———7.13
P-1 (No. 2)triclinic———6.76
P-1 (No. 2)triclinic———6.32
P-1 (No. 2)triclinic———6.46
Uses

Applications

Where Hg3Se4O5 is used.

Solid-state chemistry researchMaterials science characterizationFundamental electronic property studies
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Hg3Se4O5, answered from cross-validated data.

What is Hg3Se4O5?

Hg3Se4O5 is a metastable, semiconducting mercury selenium oxide used primarily in fundamental materials research.

More questions
What is Hg3Se4O5 used for?
Hg3Se4O5 is used in solid-state chemistry research, materials science characterization, and fundamental electronic property studies.
What is the band gap of Hg3Se4O5?
Hg3Se4O5 has a DFT-computed band gap of 1.71–1.95 eV across 5 reported structures. Standard DFT underestimates band gaps, so the measured gap is typically larger.
Is Hg3Se4O5 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
DFT predicts a band gap of up to 1.95 eV (a semiconductor). Measured gaps are typically larger.
Is Hg3Se4O5 thermodynamically stable?
Yes — Hg3Se4O5 sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. stable.
What is the crystal structure of Hg3Se4O5?
The reference structure of Hg3Se4O5 is triclinic symmetry, space group P-1 (No. 2).
How many polymorphs of Hg3Se4O5 are known?
5 structures of Hg3Se4O5 are reported across 3 databases, spanning 1 distinct space group.
What elements does Hg3Se4O5 contain?
Hg3Se4O5 contains Hg, O, and Se (3 elements).
Where does the data for Hg3Se4O5 come from?
Hg3Se4O5 data is cross-referenced from oqmd, jarvis, materials_project, cod, mpaloe.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a specialized mercury selenium oxide, this compound occupies a niche position in materials science. Unlike more common or stable binary oxides, Hg3Se4O5 serves as a critical example of the structural diversity possible within mercury-containing systems, providing a reference point for understanding how complex stoichiometry influences electronic properties in metastable phases.

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)
  • jarvis — Data from JARVIS (jarvis.nist.gov), NIST. Cite: Choudhary et al., npj Comp. Mater. 6, 173 (2020). (LicenseRef-US-Gov-PD)
  • materials_project — Data from the Materials Project (materialsproject.org). Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013). (CC-BY-4.0)
  • 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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