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The structures of 94 ternary aluminates are reinterpreted on the basis of the Zintl-Klemm concept and Pearson's generalized octet rule. In aluminates of highly electropositive metals such as alkali, alkaline-earth and rare-earth metals, the Al atoms form three-dimensional skeleta which can be interpreted as if the Al atoms were behaving as Zintl polyanions, adopting the structure of either main-group elements or Zintl polyanions showing the same connectivity. The O atoms are then located close to both the hypothetical two-electron bonds and the lone pairs, giving rise to a tetrahedral coordination. When more electronegative elements, such as W or Si, are present in the compound, the electron transfer towards the Al atoms does not take place. In this case, aluminium behaves as a base, transferring its electrons to the more electronegative atoms and the coordination sphere of aluminium becomes octahedral. In some compounds the Al atoms clearly show amphoteric character so that some Al atoms act as donors (bases) and hence are octahedrally coordinated, whereas others behave as acceptors (acids), adopting a tetrahedral coordination. From this it is concluded that the coordination sphere of aluminium is not a function of the ionic radius of the Al3+ cations, but it depends on the nature of the other cations accompanying them in the structure. The networks formed by these aluminates are, in many instances, similar to those of the binary oxides of the main-group elements. For this reason, a systematic survey of these oxides is also reported. Compounds such as stuffed cristobalites and trydimites and also perovskites are examples of this new interpretation. Perovskites are then reinterpreted as a stuffed pseudo-TeO3 structure. Other families of compounds such as silicates and phosphates are susceptible to a similar interpretation. This study provides additional examples of how cations recognize themselves in spite of being embedded in an oxygen matrix.
