Some elements go cubic under pressure
DOI: 10.1063/1.4797443
An item in the August 2007 Physics Update section states that “polonium, with atomic number 84, is the only element with a simple cubic crystal structure.” In the 21st century, that statement is a bit extreme.
Selenium, in the same element group as polonium, has an allotrope 1 with simple cubic structure, as described in a text by Jerry Donohue. 2 Perusal of his book will also illuminate simple cubic structures of other elements.
References
1. B. D. Sharma, J. Chem. Educ. 64, 404 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1021/ed064p404
2. J. Donohue, The Structures of the Elements, Wiley, New York (1974), p. 385.
More about the Authors
Brahama D. Sharma. (mercury610@aol.com) Pismo Beach, California, US .
