Crystalline Solid

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Crystalline solids are a class of solids that have regular or nearly regular crystalline structures. This means that the atoms in these solids are arranged in an orderly manner.

Crystal	Particles	Attractive Forces	Properties
Ionic	Positive and negative ions	Electrostatic attractions	High m.p., hard, brittle, good electrical conductor in molten state
Molecular	Polar molecules	London and dipole-dipole	Low m.p., soft, nonconductor or extremely poor conductor of electricity in liquid state
Molecular	Non-polar molecules	London	Low m.p., soft, nonconductor or extremely poor conductor of electricity in liquid state
Network	Atoms	Covalent bonds	Very high m.p., very hard, nonconductor of electricity
Metallic	Positive ions and mobile electrons	Metallic bonds	Fairly high m.p., hard or soft, malleable and ductile, good electrical conductor

[edit] Amorphous Solids

Amorphous solids belong to a final category of solids that don't contain crystals. They are essentially shapeless in structure, lacking any sort of repeating pattern that each other type of solid possesses. These most often form as a result of the rapid cooling of a molten material.