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I am referring to rocks in this instance. Individual crystals grow together in an igneous rock as it solidifies. I know that the $\ce{SiO4}$ tetrahedron is the basic building unit of silicate minerals, and metal cations attach to ensure electroneutrality.

What I am wondering, however, is what force keeps the crystals together (as in bound to one another) in the solid? For comparison, sediment grains are held in place by a silica or calcite cement in fragmental rocks, but what stops individual crystals from breaking free in crystalline solids?

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  • $\begingroup$ So, more 'Binding forces in polycrystalline solids' then? The energy to introduce a grain boundary into a single crystal depends on the relative orientation of the two resulting grains, but there is some atomic rearrangement (strains or reconstruction), and you will end up with a number of bonds across the grain boundary. The boundaries are usually weaker than the bulk crystal, which is why they preferentially fracture along the grain boundary. $\endgroup$
    – Jon Custer
    Nov 13, 2014 at 18:09

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Converting to answer: While the energy to introduce a grain boundary into a single crystal depends on the relative orientation of the two resulting grains, there will be some atomic rearrangement (strains or reconstruction), and you will end up with a number of bonds across the grain boundary. The boundaries are usually weaker than the bulk crystal, which is why they preferentially fracture along the grain boundary.

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