Re2O7

Rhenium(VII) oxide · Dirhenium heptoxide

Rhenium(VII) oxide is a stable, insulating binary oxide used primarily as a catalyst and a chemical precursor for synthesizing advanced materials.

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Crystal structure of Re2O7 (orthorhombic, P212121 (No. 19))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About Rhenium(VII) oxide

Rhenium(VII) oxide is a thermodynamically stable binary oxide that functions as a wide-gap insulator. Its unique electronic structure and chemical reactivity make it a critical component in various catalytic processes and a foundational material for synthesizing other rhenium-based compounds. The compound is characterized by its significant structural diversity, with numerous reported crystalline arrangements documented across scientific databases. This structural flexibility supports its utility in specialized industrial applications where precise chemical pathways are required.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for Rhenium(VII) oxide, aggregated across 3 databases.

Band Gap

2.76 eV
Range across DFT structures · ground state: wide gap

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

Stable
3 DFT sources

Structures

9
3 databases, 2 space groups
Validation

Cross-Source DFT Agreement

How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of Re2O7. Tight agreement means computed properties can be trusted without re-running calculations.

Agreement Score

0.77 / 1.00
Trust tier: medium

Hull Spread

0.056 eV
EAH spread across sources

Sources Compared

3
jarvis, materials_project, oqmd

Space Group Consensus

Mixed (most: P212121 (No. 19))
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for Re2O7, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
——2.760.0000-1.757—
P212121 (No. 19)orthorhombic2.680.0000-8.6415.84
Cmc21 (No. 36)orthorhombic3.470.0388-8.6023.84
Cmcm (No. 63)orthorhombic0.000.0563-1.484—
Cmcm (No. 63)orthorhombic0.000.0565-1.484—
Cmcm (No. 63)orthorhombic0.000.1213-8.5196.18
I41md (No. 109)tetragonal0.000.6345-8.0065.94
P212121 (No. 19)orthorhombic———6.21
Cmc21 (No. 36)orthorhombic———3.84
Cmcm (No. 63)orthorhombic———6.18
Cmc21 (No. 36)orthorhombic———4.13
Cmcm (No. 63)orthorhombic———6.29
Uses

Applications

Where Rhenium(VII) oxide is used.

Catalysis in organic synthesisPrecursor for rhenium-based thin filmsLewis acid catalystChemical vapor deposition source
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Rhenium(VII) oxide, answered from cross-validated data.

What is Re2O7?

Rhenium(VII) oxide is a stable, insulating binary oxide used primarily as a catalyst and a chemical precursor for synthesizing advanced materials.

More questions
What is Re2O7 used for?
Rhenium(VII) oxide (Re2O7) is used in catalysis in organic synthesis, precursor for rhenium-based thin films, lewis acid catalyst, and chemical vapor deposition source.
What is the band gap of Re2O7?
Rhenium(VII) oxide (Re2O7) has a DFT-computed band gap of 2.76 eV across 9 reported structures. Standard DFT underestimates band gaps, so the measured gap is typically larger.
Is Re2O7 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
DFT predicts a band gap of up to 2.76 eV (a semiconductor). Measured gaps are typically larger.
Is Re2O7 thermodynamically stable?
Yes — Rhenium(VII) oxide (Re2O7) sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. stable.
What is the crystal structure of Re2O7?
The reference structure of Rhenium(VII) oxide (Re2O7) is orthorhombic symmetry, space group P212121 (No. 19).
What is the density of Re2O7?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of Rhenium(VII) oxide (Re2O7) is 5.84 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of Re2O7 are known?
9 structures of Re2O7 are reported across 3 databases, spanning 2 distinct space groups.
What elements does Re2O7 contain?
Rhenium(VII) oxide (Re2O7) contains O and Re (2 elements).
Where does the data for Re2O7 come from?
Re2O7 data is cross-referenced from oqmd, materials_project, jarvis, cod, mpaloe.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a prominent binary oxide of rhenium, this compound serves as a primary reference point for the study of high-oxidation-state transition metal oxides. It is valued for its stability and predictable behavior in chemical reactions, distinguishing it as a reliable reagent compared to less stable or more volatile metal oxide counterparts.

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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