Abstract
AN attempt1 to resolve misunderstandings regarding ionic-covalent bonding in solids has been criticized in a recent article by Mooser and Pearson2. It should be pointed out, however, that their discussion of formal ionicity is limited to the simple and well-known case of atoms which each contribute one electron to a two-electron bond, and cannot be applied as it stands to ‘dative bond’ systems (such as are found in the zinc blende structure and in many other types of crystal, as well as in co-ordination complex molecules). In such systems formal covalency, defined as a state in which bonding electrons are equally shared between bonded atoms, can only be achieved by a donor–acceptor relationship with associated charge separation.
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References
Goodman, C. H. L., Nature, 187, 590 (1960).
Mooser, E., and Pearson, W. B., Nature, 190, 406 (1961).
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GOODMAN, C. Ionic-Covalent Bonding in Crystals. Nature 192, 355 (1961). https://doi.org/10.1038/192355a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/192355a0
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