Structural chemistry and high-temperature superconductivity

Phenomenological trends in the superconducting transition temperature T/sub c/ and the energy gap E/sub g/ as measured in many tunneling and isotope experiments are discussed for ternary metallic Cu oxides. Available data are consistent with the Bardeen-Froelich electron-phonon mechanism and the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer microscopic theory. The role of Cu oxidation is discussed in the context of the mechanical stability of the perovskitelike lattice structure