Abstract
A peculiar bonding feature of -rhombohedral boron is found in the electron density distribution of the icosahedral cluster. The electron density distribution is obtained by using the maximum entropy method with synchrotron radiation powder data. It clearly shows the characteristic two- and three-center covalent bond network which threads through atoms on the cluster surface. Besides, two kinds of covalent bonds in intercluster space are also shown in detail: a three-center trilaterally formed bond among the three clusters and a two-center bond with a remarkable feature of a bent bond between the clusters. The obtained covalent bonding features indicate the cluster-based nature of this material.
- Received 7 December 1998
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.82.4452
©1999 American Physical Society