A crystal lattice is the three-dimensional arrangement of ions in a solid ionic compound. An ionic compound is made of an element that's a metal and an element that's a non-metal. In ionic bonding, the metal loses one or more electrons and the non-metal gains one or more electrons. This results in oppositely charged ions, called cations (positive) and anions (negative). The crystal lattice is held together by the electrostatic attraction between the cations and anions.
Some examples of compounds that exist as crystal lattices in the solid form are NaCl, MgCl2, LiF, and CaO. All contain a metal and a non-metal.
Molecular compounds don't form crystal lattices because covalent bonding involves the sharing of electrons between two atoms such that neither ends up with an appreciable net charge.
No comments:
Post a Comment