Crystal Chemistry at High Pressure

Abstract

An overview of the behavior of materials at high pressure is presented, starting from the effects on single atoms driving electronic transitions and changes in periodic trends. A range of high-pressure-induced phenomena in the solid state are then discussed building on the atomic changes, including bizarre electronic structures, electrides, compounds of noble gases, changes in elemental miscibility, and strange structural and bonding configurations. In the final section, the field of high pressure superconductivity is discussed, as high pressure phases have generated immense study and excitement as some of their critical superconducting temperatures approach room temperature.