Binary and ternary carbides of alkali and alkaline-earth metals

The review surveys the preparation methods, crystallochemistry and physical properties (i.e. mainly spectroscopic properties) of binary and ternary carbides of Group I or Group 11 metals. Due to the low electronegativity of alkali and alkaline-earth metals the bonding in their binary carbides can be assumed to be ionic with carbon forming the anion. Therefore, the first part of this overview will be subdivided into chapters according to the type of the carbon anion, i.e. isolated C anions, C-2 and C-3 dumbbells. For the ternary carbides of alkali and alkaline-earth metals, which include an additional metal of other groups, the ionic description is not valid in all cases, as these compounds display interesting properties on the borderline between ionic and metallic behaviour. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.