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  1. Abstract Understanding the mineralogy of the Earth's interior is a prerequisite for unravelling the evolution and dynamics of our planet. Here, we conducted high pressure-temperature experiments mimicking the conditions of the deep lower mantle (DLM, 1800–2890 km in depth) and observed surprising mineralogical transformations in the presence of water. Ferropericlase, (Mg, Fe)O, which is the most abundant oxide mineral in Earth, reacts with H2O to form a previously unknown (Mg, Fe)O2Hx (x≤1) phase. The (Mg, Fe)O2Hx has the pyrite structure and it coexists with the dominant silicate phases, bridgmanite and post-perovskite. Depending on Mg content and geotherm temperatures, the transformation may occur at 1800 km for (Mg0.6Fe0.4)O or beyond 2300 km for (Mg0.7Fe0.3)O. The (Mg, Fe)O2Hx is an oxygen excess phase that stores an excessive amount of oxygen beyond the charge balance of maximum cation valences (Mg2+, Fe3+, and H+). This important phase has a number of far-reaching implications including the extreme redox inhomogeneity, deep-oxygen reservoirs in the DLM, and an internal source for modulating oxygen in the atmosphere. 
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  2. Abstract

    The discovery of electrides, in particular, inorganic electrides where electrons substitute anions, has inspired striking interests in the systems that exhibit unusual electronic and catalytic properties. So far, however, the experimental studies of such systems are largely restricted to ambient conditions, unable to understand their interactions between electron localizations and geometrical modifications under external stimuli, e.g., pressure. Here, pressure‐induced structural and electronic evolutions of Ca2N by in situ synchrotron X‐ray diffraction and electrical resistance measurements, and density functional theory calculations with particle swarm optimization algorithms are reported. Experiments and computation are combined to reveal that under compression, Ca2N undergoes structural transforms fromRmsymmetry toI2dphase via an intermediateFdmphase, and then toCcphase, accompanied by the reductions of electronic dimensionality from 2D, 1D to 0D. Electrical resistance measurements support a metal‐to‐semiconductor transition in Ca2N because of the reorganizations of confined electrons under pressure, also validated by the calculation. The results demonstrate unexplored experimental evidence for a pressure‐induced metal‐to‐semiconductor switching in Ca2N and offer a possible strategy for producing new electrides under moderate pressure.

     
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