Electron Transfer in Intermetallic Compounds

The consideration of interatomic distances shows that electron transfer from atoms of one element to those of another takes place in many interatomic compounds, and that the numbers of electrons involved are reasonable in relation to the changes in valence resulting from loss or gain of electrons and to the partial ionic character of the bonds between unlike atoms and the striving of atoms toward electroneu-trality.  

Carbon apd silicon are placed in a separate class in Table 11-4. Carbon is an element with stable valence, 4 either the addition of an electron to a carbon atom or the removal of an electron from it causes a decrease in its valence. Silicon also has the stable valence 4, except 

Hypoelootronio Atoms Atoms with stable vruen-sci leotrbuin atoms 

I vet us consider the ways in which an intermetailic compound AB might be stabilized by the transfer of an electron from atom B to atom A. 

an increase in the number of valence bonds and a corresponding increase in stability would result from electron transfer from B to A if A were hypoelectronic and B were hyperelectronic, or if A were hypoelectronic and B were a buffer, or if A were a buffer and B were hyperelectronic  

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L. Pauling, Electron transfer in intermetallic compounds. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. (USA) 36, 533-537 (1950). 

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