Solids

Image:Wikimedia Commons User Alchemistry-hp

Types of Solids –
Arrangement of particles

1. Crystalline Solids: highly regular

arrangement of their components
 Types of Solids –
Arrangement of particles
2. Amorphous solids: considerable
disorder in their structures (glass, plastic,
coal, rubber).
Types of Solids –
Behaviour when heated
Crystalline
• are built from repeating units called crystal lattices
• the attractive forces experienced by the particles
are of similar types and strength
• these attractive forces are broken by the same
amount of energy, and thus, crystals become liquids
at a specific temperature
– (i.e. the melting point)
Types of Solids –
Behaviour when heated
Amorphous solids
• soften gradually when they are heated
• tend to melt over a wide range of
temperature
• a result of the variation in the arrangement
of particles in their structures, causing some
parts of the solid to melt ahead of other
parts
 Types of Solids –
Arrangement of particles
 The four types of crystals
1. METALLIC CRYSTALS
• are made of atoms that readily lose electrons to
form positive ions (cations), but no atoms in the
crystal would readily gain electrons.
• the crystal is held together by electrostatic
interactions between the cations and delocalized
electron
• these interactions are called metallic bonds.
• metallic bonding is called the “sea of electrons”
model
 Observed Inference about the structure
property
Dense Atoms are packed close together.
High melting Strong attractive forces hold the atoms in
point the crystal.
Good electrical Charged particles move through the
conductor crystal.
Good heat Particles can move through the crystal.
conductor
Malleable and When the crystal is deformed or stress is
ductile applied, the attractive forces are not
broken.
Lustrous Light is easily absorbed and emitted back.
• This model is able to
explain many
physical properties
of metals, such as
their high melting
• points, malleability,
ductility, thermal
and electrical
conductivity, and
luster.
 Explanation of properties:
• High melting point
– a large amount of energy is needed to melt the
crystal since the forces of attraction to be broken
are numerous and extend throughout the crystal.
• Dense
– atoms are packed closely together. Metals exhibit
close-packing structures, a most economical way
by which atoms utilize space.
• Electrical conductivity
– then delocalized electrons move throughout the
crystal
 Explanation of properties:
• Thermal or heat conductor
– the delocalized electrons collide with each other as they move
through the crystal, and it is through these collisions that
kinetic energy is transferred
• Malleability/ductility
– when stress is applied to the metal, the metal cations shift in
position, but the mobile electrons simply follow the movement
of the cations.
– the attractive forces between cations and mobile electrons are
not broken
• Luster
– the motion and collisions of electrons allow it to gain and lose
energy, some of these in the form of emitted light that is
observed as luster
 The four types of crystals
2. IONIC CRYSTALS
• are made of ions
– (cations and anions)
• These ions form strong
electrostatic interactions that
hold the crystal lattice together
• ionic crystals are hard and have
high melting points
 2. IONIC CRYSTALS
• ionic crystals are
brittle, and would
shatter into small
pieces when
deformed or when
pressure is applied
on the crystal.
 The four types of crystals
3. MOLECULAR CRYSTALS
• made of atoms, such as in noble gases, or molecules
– such as in sugar, C12H22O11,
– Iodine
– naphthalene, C10H8
• The atoms or molecules are held together by a mix of
hydrogen bonding/dipole-dipole and dispersion forces
– these are the attractive forces are broken when the crystal melts.
• Hence, most molecular crystals have relatively low melting
points
4. Covalent network crystals
• are made of atoms in which each atom is covalently
bonded to its nearest neighbours
• atoms can be made of one type of atom
– (e.g. diamond and graphite)
• can be made of different atoms
– (e.g. SiO2 and BN).
• Formulas for network solids, like those for ionic
compounds, are simple ratios of the component atoms
represented by a formula unit.
• Each carbon atom has four valence electrons, making it capable of
forming four single covalent bonds
• with other atoms, like in diamond. In graphite, only three of these
four valence electrons are used for bonding,
• leaving the fourth electron free. Every carbon atom in graphite has an
extra electron that can move about the
• layer, allowing graphite to conduct electricity.
• The layers in graphite are held by weak intermolecular forces, and
with sufficient pressure, the layers can
• slide past one another. When one uses a pencil to write, layers of
graphite are transferred to the paper as one
• presses the pencil down on the paper.
Reading Commentary on Crystal Formation

• Read about a crystal of your choice and write a four-six

paragraph essay by answering the following questions.
• Cite your sources following the APA format.
1. How is the crystal formed?
2. Is it beneficial or harmful to man or both? Discuss how it is
beneficial or harmful to man.
3. If it is something harmful, what can be done to avoid its
formation?
4. If it is something beneficial, how can its formation be
promoted?
 choices
1. Oxides of magnesium and calcium produced from hard
water
2. Calcium oxalate or calcium phosphate in kidney stones
3. Uric acid in gout
4. Barium sulfate in x-ray imaging
5. Silica in desiccants
6. Gemstones used for jewelry
7. Salts in food industry,
– e.g. table salt, monosodium glutamate, potassium nitrate
8. Metals or alloys used in conductors
Closest Packing: Single Layer

Photographer : Thierry Dugnolle