Portraits of some representatives of metal boride carbide and boride silicide compounds
Résumé
Different ternary alkaline-earth and rare-earth metal boron carbide and silicide compounds are examined using the solid-state language of Zintl-Klemm concept, band structures, and density of states, in order to show that the topology of the non-metal sub-lattice is highly dependent on the electron count. It is also shown that the chemistry of rare-earth metal-boron-silicon does not parallel that of rare-earth metal-boron-carbon. B-C bonds are easily formed in the latter, leading to a large variety of different structural arrangements, whereas Si-B bonds are hardly observed in the former, except in insertion compounds.