LaP
LaP is a stable metallic compound composed of lanthanum and phosphorus.

About LaP
LaP is a lanthanum phosphide compound that exhibits metallic electronic characteristics. Its status as a thermodynamically stable material on the convex hull underscores its structural integrity and potential for consistent performance in various experimental conditions.
With numerous reported structures documented across multiple databases, this compound is a well-characterized subject of study. Its metallic nature distinguishes it from typical insulating phosphides, making it an interesting candidate for research into the fundamental interactions between rare-earth elements and pnictogens.
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for LaP, aggregated across 5 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.
Cross-Source DFT Agreement
How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of LaP. Tight agreement means computed properties can be trusted without re-running calculations.
Agreement ScoreA normalized confidence score summarizing how closely independent DFT databases agree. Higher scores mean tighter cross-source agreement.
Hull SpreadDifference between the highest and lowest energy-above-hull values reported by comparable sources. Smaller spread means less thermodynamic disagreement.
Sources ComparedNumber and names of computational sources with comparable entries for this formula.
Space Group ConsensusWhether independent sources predict the same crystal symmetry for the lowest-energy structure.
Reported Structures
Lowest-energy structures reported for LaP, ranked by energy above hull.
| Space GroupSymmetry classification of the crystal arrangement. The number is the international space-group index. | Crystal SystemBroad lattice family, such as cubic, tetragonal, monoclinic, or triclinic, derived from unit-cell symmetry. | Band Gap (eV)Electronic gap calculated for this specific reported structure, measured in electronvolts. | E above hull (eV/atom)Thermodynamic distance from the convex hull for this structure, normalized per atom. Lower is generally more stable. | E/atom (eV)Computed total energy normalized per atom. Use energy above hull, not this value alone, when comparing stability. | Density (g/cm³)Mass per relaxed crystal volume, reported in grams per cubic centimeter. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fm-3m (No. 225) | cubic | 0.00 | 0.0000 | -21.190 | 5.05 |
| — | — | 0.00 | 0.0000 | -1.699 | — |
| Fm-3m (No. 225) | cubic | 0.00 | 0.0000 | -1.718 | — |
| — | — | 0.00 | 0.0003 | -1.698 | — |
| Fm-3m (No. 225) | cubic | 0.00 | 0.0353 | -1.683 | — |
| — | — | 0.39 | 0.2181 | -1.481 | — |
| — | — | 0.00 | 0.2734 | -1.425 | — |
| — | — | 0.00 | 0.3765 | -1.322 | — |
| — | — | 1.68 | 0.4607 | -1.238 | — |
| — | — | 0.00 | 0.6667 | -1.032 | — |
| — | — | 0.00 | 0.6883 | -1.010 | — |
| P-1 (No. 2) | triclinic | — | — | — | 3.98 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about LaP, answered from cross-validated data.
What is LaP?
LaP is a stable metallic compound composed of lanthanum and phosphorus.
What is the band gap of LaP?
Is LaP a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
Is LaP thermodynamically stable?
What is the crystal structure of LaP?
What is the density of LaP?
How many polymorphs of LaP are known?
What elements does LaP contain?
Where does the data for LaP come from?
How It Compares
As a thermodynamically stable metallic phosphide, LaP represents a fundamental building block in the study of lanthanum-based pnictides. Its high degree of structural documentation positions it as a primary reference point for understanding the phase stability and electronic behavior of binary lanthanum compounds.
Data sources & attribution
- materials_project — Data from the Materials Project (materialsproject.org). Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013). (CC-BY-4.0)
- 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)
- mpaloe — Data from MP-ALOE. Cite: Kuner et al., npj Comput. Mater. (2025), doi:10.1038/s41524-025-01834-9.
- cod — Data from the Crystallography Open Database (crystallography.net/cod/). Cite: Grazulis et al., J. Appl. Cryst. 42, 726 (2009). (CC0-1.0)
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