Crystalline solids are those that have a typical geometry. In such type of solids, there are definite arrangements of particles (atoms, molecules or ions ) throughout the 3-dimensional network of a crystal in a long-range order. Examples include Sodium Chloride, Quartz, Diamond, etc.
Properties of Crystalline Solids
- Crystalline solids have a sharp melting point and start melting when it reaches a particular temperature.
- The shape of crystalline solids are definite and having typical arrangements of particles.
- They show cleavage property i.e. when they are cut with the edge of a sharp tool they split into two pieces and the newly generated surfaces are smooth and plain.
- They have definite heat of fusion (amount of energy needed to melt a given mass of solid at its melting point).
- Crystalline solids are anisotropic which means their physical properties like electrical resistance or refractive index show different values when they are measured along with different directions in the same crystal.
- Crystalline solids are true solids.
Types of Crystalline Solids
On the basis of the nature of intermolecular forces or chemical bonding, crystalline solids are further classified into four categories. They are,
- Molecular Solids
- Ionic solids
- Metallic solids
- Covalent solids
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