In nature, everything is made up of chemicals. They, in turn, have a complex structure that cannot be determined with the naked eye. How should the smallest particles settle down so that the chemical compound takes on a gaseous, liquid, or solid state? It depends on its crystal lattice and bonding between atoms.
Crystal chemistry
From the school course it is known that substances are composed of molecules, and they are made of atoms. A crystal is a solid body that, under ordinary conditions, takes the form of a symmetric polyhedron. Salts can be in a crystalline state when the necessary requirements (for example, a certain temperature) are met for their occurrence. The main role in such transformations is played by the structure of the chemical under study. From what kind of crystal lattice he has, his state of aggregation and strength depends.
Types of crystal lattices
- Ionic.
- Metal.
- Molecular
- Atomic.
Characteristic
The essence of the first kind is based on a well-known fact: positively charged ions are attracted to negatively charged ones, forming a kind of dense cluster of them, and at the same time, the corresponding crystal lattice, the atoms in which are bound by an ionic bond.
Unlike the previous one, a metal one is a crystal where atoms are not tightly bonded to each other. Here, each of them is surrounded by many others like that. Such a bond between metals can occur only if they are in a solid or liquid state, since in a gaseous state they consist of monatomic molecules, where the atoms are not connected to each other.
Molecular is a crystal in which particles are held together only due to the forces of intermolecular interaction (for example, hydrogen bonds in water). Molecules are attracted to each other by partial charges (“+” to “-” and vice versa), resulting in a dipole – dipole interaction. If this is carried out by means of particle polarization, then the electron clouds shift to the center of the atomic nucleus. Such an interaction is called induction and is characterized by the appearance of a fragile molecular crystal lattice.
The atomic crystal is a very solid body. A strong covalent polar bond prevails here. Such substances are not soluble in water and odorless. A well-known example is diamond, which just has an atomic crystal lattice. Despite the fact that diamond, graphite and soot have the same formula, they represent different allotropic modifications. Their difference in strength is explained by various bonds of carbon atoms in the crystal.