HgN6

HgN6 is a semiconducting mercury-nitrogen compound primarily studied for its high-energy potential and complex structural chemistry.

HgN
Crystal structure of HgN6 (orthorhombic, Iba2 (No. 45))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About HgN6

HgN6 is a nitrogen-rich mercury compound that exhibits semiconducting electronic behavior. Due to its high nitrogen content, it is often investigated for its potential as a high-energy density material, though it remains a complex subject of study in solid-state chemistry.

Because it exists above the thermodynamic hull, HgN6 is considered metastable or unstable under ambient conditions. Its synthesis and characterization are significant for understanding the bonding interactions between heavy metals and nitrogen networks in high-pressure or specialized laboratory environments.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for HgN6, aggregated across 3 databases.

Band Gap

2.69–2.75 eV
Range across DFT structures

Energy Above Hull

0.674 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

Above hull
2 DFT sources

Structures

6
3 databases, 4 space groups
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for HgN6, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
Iba2 (No. 45)orthorhombic2.750.6740-14.2033.85
Pca21 (No. 29)orthorhombic2.690.6740-14.2033.93
Pca21 (No. 29)
C2/m (No. 12)Monoclinic8.63
P1 (No. 1)Triclinic5.00
P1 (No. 1)Triclinic6.46
Uses

Applications

Where HgN6 is used.

High-energy density materials researchFundamental solid-state chemistry
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about HgN6, answered from cross-validated data.

What is HgN6?

HgN6 is a semiconducting mercury-nitrogen compound primarily studied for its high-energy potential and complex structural chemistry.

More questions
What is HgN6 used for?
HgN6 is used in high-energy density materials research and fundamental solid-state chemistry.
What is the band gap of HgN6?
HgN6 has a DFT-computed band gap of 2.69–2.75 eV across 6 reported structures.
Is HgN6 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
With a band gap up to 2.75 eV it is a semiconductor.
Is HgN6 thermodynamically stable?
HgN6 has a lowest energy above hull of 0.674 eV/atom (above hull).
What is the crystal structure of HgN6?
The lowest-energy reported polymorph of HgN6 is orthorhombic symmetry, space group Iba2 (No. 45).
What is the density of HgN6?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of HgN6 is 3.85 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of HgN6 are known?
6 structures of HgN6 are reported across 3 databases, spanning 4 distinct space groups.
What elements does HgN6 contain?
HgN6 contains Hg and N (2 elements).
Where does the data for HgN6 come from?
HgN6 data is cross-referenced from materials_project, jarvis, mpaloe.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a unique nitrogen-rich mercury compound, HgN6 represents a specialized niche in inorganic chemistry. Unlike more conventional, thermodynamically stable mercury salts, this compound is primarily defined by its high-energy potential and the structural challenges inherent in stabilizing such nitrogen-heavy frameworks.

Data sources & attribution
  • materials_project — Data from the Materials Project. Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013).
  • jarvis — Data from JARVIS (NIST). Cite: Choudhary et al., npj Comp. Mater. 6, 173 (2020).
  • mpaloe — Data from mpaloe.

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