- A Mercury
- B Carbon dioxide (dry ice)
- C Ice
- D NaCl
Ice is the only substance that has a lower density as a solid than as a liquid. Its density is 0.92 g/cm3 as a solid and 1 g/cm3 as a liquid. Mercury has a density of 14.184 g/cm3 as a solid and 13.69 g/cm3 as a liquid. Carbon dioxide has a density of 1.56 g/cm3 as a solid and 1.10 g/cm3 as a liquid. NaCl has a density of 2.71 g/cm3 as a solid and 1.556 g/cm3 in molten state.
Crystalline solids have a perfectly ordered structure which collapses immediately at a specific temperature. Amorphous solids melt over a range of temperatures, not one specific value.
An amorphous solid has short range order present which is independent of the temperature. Long range order is present in crystalline solids.
Molecular solids are solids that are collections of molecules held together by intermolecular forces. In polar molecules such as HCl, So2, etc., the molecules are held together by dipole-dipole interactions, which is the attraction between the positive and negative ends of the molecules.
Diamond is an example of a covalent solid, which is a type of solid in which the constituent particles are attached to each other by covalent bonds. Examples of covalent solids include diamond, graphite, silicon, SiC, AIN, and quartz.
A cubic crystal has three equal dimensions, a = b = c, and three angles, α = β = γ = 90. This is because a cubic crystal is a symmetrical structure, with each side of the cube being equal in length and each angle being equal in measure. The angles of a cube are all right angles, meaning that the measure of each angle is 90 degrees.
The most unsymmetrical crystal system is the triclinic crystal system, in which all three axes are unequal in length and none of them is perpendicular to another. Triclinic unit cells have the least symmetrical shape of all unit cells, and turquoise is an example of a triclinic crystal.
Lattice points are the points at which atoms may be present on the unit cell. They indicate the position of atoms in a crystal.
Crystalline solids are anisotropic, meaning they have different properties in different directions, whereas amorphous solids are isotropic, meaning they have identical properties in all directions. The lack of a clean cleavage, true solidity, and sharp melting points are all characteristics of crystalline solids.
Quartz is a common example of covalent solids. In covalent solids, the constituent particles are attached to each other by covalent bonds. Diamond, graphite, silicon are other examples of covalent solids.