HgClO4
HgClO4 is a metastable, semimetallic compound composed of mercury, chlorine, and oxygen that exhibits significant structural diversity.

About HgClO4
HgClO4 is a complex inorganic compound characterized by its near-zero-gap electronic structure, placing it in the regime of semimetallic materials. Its composition of mercury, chlorine, and oxygen reflects a delicate chemical balance that results in a metastable state under standard conditions. The material is notable for its structural diversity, with multiple reported configurations across research databases. This complexity makes it a subject of interest for fundamental studies into the electronic behavior of mercury-based oxo-compounds.
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for HgClO4, aggregated across 3 databases.
Band GapEnergy needed to move an electron from the valence band to the conduction band. Lower or zero values tend to behave more metallic; larger gaps are more insulating or semiconducting.
Energy Above HullThermodynamic distance from the most stable set of competing phases. 0 eV/atom is on the convex hull; small positive values may still be experimentally accessible.
StabilityA plain-language summary of the best reported energy-above-hull result. It reflects whether the lowest-energy structure is on, near, or far from the stability hull.
StructuresCount of reported calculated crystal structures for this formula, including alternate polymorphs, source databases, and observed space groups.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about HgClO4, answered from cross-validated data.
What is HgClO4?
HgClO4 is a metastable, semimetallic compound composed of mercury, chlorine, and oxygen that exhibits significant structural diversity.
What is the band gap of HgClO4?
Is HgClO4 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
Is HgClO4 thermodynamically stable?
How many polymorphs of HgClO4 are known?
What elements does HgClO4 contain?
Where does the data for HgClO4 come from?
How It Compares
As a unique inorganic compound, HgClO4 occupies a distinct niche in materials science. Unlike more common, highly stable salts, its metastable nature and semimetallic electronic character distinguish it from conventional insulators or semiconductors, positioning it as an intriguing subject for specialized chemical research.
Data sources & attribution
- latticegraph — Lattice Graph Materials Intelligence Platform
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