Periodic Reporting for period 2 - HiPeR-F (Challenging the Oxidation-State Limitations of the Periodic Table via High-Pressure Fluorine Chemistry)
Reporting period: 2022-08-01 to 2024-01-31
The HiPeR-F project is dedicated to pioneering a cutting-edge research avenue: high-pressure fluorine chemistry. This endeavor involves a combination of two highly specialized and demanding fields – inorganic fluorine chemistry and high-pressure experiments conducted using diamond anvil cells. The goal is to explore the behavior of elements under extreme pressure in the gigapascal range, pushing the boundaries of their reactivity as indicated by recent theoretical insights.
These theoretical findings have hinted at the potential existence of compounds featuring elements in unconventional bonding situations and exotic oxidation states, and even the intriguing possibility of inner electronic shells playing a role in chemical bonding. However, to investigate these phenomena, exceptionally high pressures are required and must contend with the extreme reactivity of fluorine. Currently, such investigations are limited to computational simulations, leaving experimental verification lagging significantly behind theoretical progress.
The HiPeR-F project seeks to bridge this gap by conducting experimental work to test these exciting computational predictions. The compounds we aim to synthesize, feature elements in exotic oxidation states, are on the brink of existence and pose formidable challenges in terms of synthesis. Nevertheless, they hold great interest for the broader scientific community.
These theoretical findings have hinted at the potential existence of compounds featuring elements in unconventional bonding situations and exotic oxidation states, and even the intriguing possibility of inner electronic shells playing a role in chemical bonding. However, to investigate these phenomena, exceptionally high pressures are required and must contend with the extreme reactivity of fluorine. Currently, such investigations are limited to computational simulations, leaving experimental verification lagging significantly behind theoretical progress.
The HiPeR-F project seeks to bridge this gap by conducting experimental work to test these exciting computational predictions. The compounds we aim to synthesize, feature elements in exotic oxidation states, are on the brink of existence and pose formidable challenges in terms of synthesis. Nevertheless, they hold great interest for the broader scientific community.
A major research effort of this project is dedicated to the development of the methodology of high-pressure experiments that will enable us to explore highly-reactive inorganic fluorides under pressure in diamond anvil cells. Starting Grant enabled the establishment of a new research group, therefore the initial activities also included the equipping of the laboratory, infrastructure development and the introduction of various new experimental methods and techniques.
The research carried out within the ERC StG project has led to the development of novel synthetic approach in inorganic fluorine chemistry and in particular in noble-gas chemistry. It is expected that this line of research will be further explored in the future. Moreover, continuos development of high-pressure methodology for investigation of reactive inorganic compounds represents a major research focus and the bulk of the expected results until the end of this exciting project.