Thallium(III) oxide
Encyclopedia
Thallium oxide is a chemical compound of thallium
and oxygen
. It occurs in nature as the rare mineral avicennite. Its structure is related to that of Mn2O3 which has a bixbyite
like structure. Tl2O3 is metallic with high conductivity and is a degenerate n-type semiconductor
which may have potential use in solar cells.
A method of producing Tl2O3 by MOCVD
is known. Any practical use of thallium(III) oxide will always have to take account of thallium's poisonous nature. Contact with moisture
and acid
s may form poisonous thallium compounds.
Thallium
Thallium is a chemical element with the symbol Tl and atomic number 81. This soft gray poor metal resembles tin but discolors when exposed to air. The two chemists William Crookes and Claude-Auguste Lamy discovered thallium independently in 1861 by the newly developed method of flame spectroscopy...
and oxygen
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
. It occurs in nature as the rare mineral avicennite. Its structure is related to that of Mn2O3 which has a bixbyite
Bixbyite
Bixbyite is a manganese iron oxide mineral with formula: 2O3. The iron:manganese ratio is quite variable and many specimens have almost no iron. It is a metallic dark black with a Mohs hardness of 6.0 - 6.5...
like structure. Tl2O3 is metallic with high conductivity and is a degenerate n-type semiconductor
Semiconductor
A semiconductor is a material with electrical conductivity due to electron flow intermediate in magnitude between that of a conductor and an insulator. This means a conductivity roughly in the range of 103 to 10−8 siemens per centimeter...
which may have potential use in solar cells.
A method of producing Tl2O3 by MOCVD
Metalorganic vapour phase epitaxy
Metalorganic vapour phase epitaxy , also known as organometallic vapour phase epitaxy or metalorganic chemical vapour deposition , is a chemical vapour deposition method of epitaxial growth of materials, especially compound semiconductors, from the surface reaction of organic compounds or...
is known. Any practical use of thallium(III) oxide will always have to take account of thallium's poisonous nature. Contact with moisture
Moisture
Humidity is the amount of moisture the air can hold before it rains. Moisture refers to the presence of a liquid, especially water, often in trace amounts...
and acid
Acid
An acid is a substance which reacts with a base. Commonly, acids can be identified as tasting sour, reacting with metals such as calcium, and bases like sodium carbonate. Aqueous acids have a pH of less than 7, where an acid of lower pH is typically stronger, and turn blue litmus paper red...
s may form poisonous thallium compounds.