Topology of the structure of metal sublattices in inorganic compounds

The Voronoi-Dirichlet polyhedron (VDP) method is used to study the topology of atomic metal sublattices in the structures of 350 inorganic compounds. Far the sample under consideration, if is confirmed that the rule of twelve and fourteen neighbors is valid It is found for 26 compounds that the environment of metal atoms in the cationic framework possesses noncrystallographic features. The advantages of using the VDP method for determination of coordination numbers of atoms are shown on several examples. The local and global homogeneity of the structures of the compounds is discussed.