Zintl
Zintl refers to a set of concepts in inorganic chemistry named after the German chemist Ernst Zintl. The central idea is that in certain intermetallic compounds, electrons are transferred from electropositive metals to more electronegative p-block elements, generating a covalently bonded anionic framework of the p-block atoms with the electropositive metals acting as counterions. This approach, often called the Zintl–Klemm concept, combines ideas of ionic transfer with covalent bonding to describe complex solids and how their structures arise from electron counting.
Zintl phases are intermetallic compounds formed between electropositive elements (such as alkali or alkaline earth metals)
Zintl ions are discrete polyatomic anions that can be isolated from Zintl phases. They arise when the
The Zintl concept remains a useful heuristic for understanding intermetallics and guiding the study of thermoelectric