Calcium polonide is an
intermetallic compound with the
chemical formulaCaPo. It is made up of
calcium and
polonium. Rather than being found in nature, the compound is entirely
synthetic, and difficult to study, due to polonium's high vapor pressure, radioactivity, and easy oxidation in air.
Structure
At atmospheric pressure, it crystalizes in the cubic
rock salt crystal structure.[1] At a high pressure of around 16.7 GPa, the structure is predicted to transform to the
caesium chloride-type crystal structure.[2]
Electronic properties
Based on theoretical calculations, calcium polonide is predicted to be a
semiconductor.[3]
^
abWitteman, W. G.; Giorgi, A. L.; Vier, D. T. (1960). "The Preparation and Identification of Some Intermetallic Compounds of Polonium". The Journal of Physical Chemistry. 64 (4). American Chemical Society (ACS): 434–440.
doi:
10.1021/j100833a014.
ISSN0022-3654.
^Shi, Liwei; Wu, Ling; Duan, Yifeng; Hao, Lanzhong; Hu, Jing; Yang, Xianqing; Tang, Gang (2012). "Band structure, phase transition, phonon and elastic instabilities in calcium polonide under pressure: A first-principles study". Solid State Communications. 152 (22). Elsevier BV: 2058–2062.
Bibcode:
2012SSCom.152.2058S.
doi:
10.1016/j.ssc.2012.08.028.
ISSN0038-1098.