Novel broken symmetry phase from N(2)O at high pressures and high temperatures

M Somayazulu; A Madduri; A F Goncharov; O Tschauner; P F McMillan; H K Mao; R J Hemley

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.87.135504

Novel broken symmetry phase from N(2)O at high pressures and high temperatures

Phys Rev Lett. 2001 Sep 24;87(13):135504. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.87.135504. Epub 2001 Sep 11.

Authors

M Somayazulu¹, A Madduri, A F Goncharov, O Tschauner, P F McMillan, H K Mao, R J Hemley

Affiliation

¹ Geophysical Laboratory and Center for High Pressure Research, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 5251 Broad Branch Road NW, Washington, D.C. 20015, USA.

PMID: 11580605
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.87.135504

Abstract

Simple molecular solids become unstable at high pressures, typically transforming to dense framework and/or metallic structures. We report formation of an unusual ionic solid NO(+)NO(3)(-) (nitrosonium nitrate) from N(2)O at pressures above 20 GPa and temperatures above 1000 K. Synchrotron x-ray diffraction indicates that the compound crystallizes with a structure related to the aragonite form of CaCO(3) and NaNO(3). Raman and infrared spectroscopic data indicate that the structure is noncentrosymmetric and exhibits a strong pressure dependent charge transfer and orientational order.