Thermolysis of CsO ( = In, Sc): Synthesis, Crystal Structure, Chemical Bonding, and Reactivity of the Subvalent Oxidometalates CsO ( = In, Sc).

The cesium-poor alkali-metal suboxidometalates CsO ( = In, Sc) were prepared from the respective cesium-rich suboxidometalates CsO by thermolysis in a dynamic vacuum at temperatures below 150 °C. They crystallize in a new structure type, comprising isolated tetrahedral oxidometalate anions [O] immersed in a matrix of metallic cesium atoms. This structural separation into alternating ionic and metallic building units is typical for subvalent compounds.