2.3 Structure of Ionic Solids

Represent an ionic solid with a particulate model that is consistent with Coulomb’s law and the properties of the constituent ions.

• The cations and anions in an ionic crystal are arranged in a systematic, periodic 3-D array that maximizes the attractive forces among cations and anions while minimizing the repulsive forces.
  • Exclusion: Knowledge of specific crystal structures is not essential to an understanding of the