Questions tagged [solid-state-chemistry]

Study of chemical species that are in solid phase, either in cases of their properties, or about ways of synthesizing them.

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Why is silver(I) phosphate so unexpectedly thermally stable?

Silver(I) oxide is completely decomposed in air already at $\pu{300 °C}.$ Formulate the decomposition reaction and the corresponding mass action expression. $\ce{Ag3PO4}$ can be melted at $\pu{800°C}$ ...
6 votes
1 answer
480 views

"Fireblob" in KO₂ and PCl₅ reaction

The reaction between $\ce{KO2(s)}$ and $\ce{PCl5(s)}$ leads to the strange formation of a black "fireblob" which eventually turns orange. This is demonstrated in this YouTube video (...
3 votes
1 answer
84 views

Does CsBr have BCC lattice or cubic?

Everywhere I see on the internet, it says BCC, but my professor still says "it is cubic lattice, no matter which book/website might tell you otherwise". The argument was that for deciding ...
-1 votes
0 answers
72 views

Why does the 2+ oxidation state of Gold typically not occurr? [duplicate]

I'm currently researching a material containing gold in various oxidation states as part of my graduate school project. In the literature I found compounds where gold occurs in a 1+ and 3+ oxidation ...
0 votes
1 answer
323 views

Balancing a chemical reaction with oxidation numbers

We have been teached how to balance chemical reactions with oxidation numbers in school, but somehow I can't understand it. This is the equation to balance $$\ce{Cu(s) + NO3−(aq) + H+(aq) -> Cu^2+(...
1 vote
1 answer
205 views

Band structure of solids in general

As my last question (Semiconductors and their electronic bands) was badly structured, I decided to elaborate my questions a bit. As I now know, every solid/liquid forms a band structure, so all ...
-1 votes
3 answers
99 views

Can any compound form into an amorphous solid?

I am curious whether it is possible or not to make any solution of a specific compound into a crystal lattice or into an amorphous solid? I know that crystals form under specific conditions but seem ...
7 votes
2 answers
7k views

What is crystallographic equivalence?

I’ve learnt that in crystallography, there are many crystallographic directions that are “equivalent.” For example, in a cubic crystal system, the [011] and [110] and [101] directions are “...
4 votes
0 answers
40 views

Are there tenebrescent minerals like KCl, but ideally resettable with UV/IR?

Is there a ‘simple’ mineral that is tenebrescent (getting reversibly darker on irradiation), but is resettable with UV or IR? Hackmanite, spodumene and tugtupite (Wikipedia examples for tenebrescence) ...
1 vote
1 answer
82 views

How many types of 3D packing are possible?

In my book it's said that there are 3 types of unit cubic cell - primitive , face and body centered . But for 3d packing types they have only mentioned FCC and HCP . I know that these 2 concepts- ...
1 vote
1 answer
35 views

Number of particles at a distance of √11 (a/2) from a single particle in a body centered cubic lattice

Take a particle on BCC lattice and from that we have to find number of particles at a distance of $\displaystyle \sqrt{11} \cdot \frac{a}{2}$ (where a is side length of cube). For this, the answer ...
-4 votes
1 answer
26 views

Why is there a point of orbits along with quantization in case of energy gaps?

As per my textbook and online sources. The definition of Energy bands I have found is this: A) Energy levels: ( In a simplified view of an electronic structure of a single atom or isolated molecule. ...
3 votes
2 answers
763 views

Why Frenkel defect does not impact the density of the solid?

The following text is from Chemistry Part I - Textbook for Class XII (NCERT), chapter "The Solid State", page 23, topic "1.9 Imperfections in Solids", sub topic "1.9.1 Types ...
-2 votes
1 answer
62 views

Do molecular orbitals in metals form bands like in wave interference? [closed]

For bond that's formed between two identical atoms, I naively understand that one molecular orbital is a bonding orbital and the other is an antibonding one, and I believe they have to do with the ...
4 votes
1 answer
500 views

Why does KCl have FCC structure instead of BCC?

I have this table here. \begin{array} {|r|r|}\hline \text{Radius Ratio} & \text{Coordination number} & \text{Type of Void} \\ \hline <0.155 & 2 & \text{Linear} \\ \hline 0.155-0....
-2 votes
1 answer
75 views

How to express the lattice parameter of NaCl in terms of ionic radii? [closed]

In the $\ce{NaCl}$ lattice, $\ce{Cl^-}$ takes the FCC configuration, and all the voids at the edge and body center are filled by $\ce{Na^+}.$ So, do we calculate the edge length of unit cell $a$ as $$...
3 votes
1 answer
309 views

On the exact definitions of Frenkel and Schottky defects

The wiki page on vacancy defects says; It is also known as a Schottky defect, although in ionic crystals the concepts are not identical. As far as I'm aware, they're the same. Furthermore, the wiki ...
-4 votes
2 answers
64 views

Does thorium(IV) oxide has a "fluorite" like structure? [closed]

The fluorite structure shows 8:4 coordination. Which of the following solutions has fluorite-like lattices? $\ce{CaF2}$ $\ce{SrCl2}$ $\ce{BaF2}$ $\ce{ThO2}$? My book tells me only $\ce{CaF2}$, $\ce{...
0 votes
0 answers
33 views

Drying Li2CO3 without vaccum

I am looking for drying Li2CO3 without a vacuum oven, simply because we do not have one. I did not find anything in the literature, or I am overthinking it? Just 100 °C overnight in a normal oven, and ...
2 votes
0 answers
151 views

Are the density of states of bonding and the corresponding antibonding states complementary?

As for the bonding and the corresponding antibonding molecular orbitals formed between two types of atomic orbitals, are their density of states (DOS) complementary? This means if the DOS of the ...
0 votes
0 answers
16 views

The existence of anti-phase boundaries (APBs) in defective crystalline materials

The existence of anti-phase domain boundaries (APBs) in polycrystalline materials is usually established by electron microscopic techniques (SEM/TEM) [1] and is also discussed in diffraction data ...
6 votes
2 answers
4k views

Density of Interstitial compounds

I have read in my textbook (not very reliable) that density of interstitial compounds is lesser than parent compound. But how can this be true? We add atoms to the lattice voids, so density should ...
2 votes
1 answer
73 views

Why are certain lattices compatible with only certain point groups and not all point groups?

I will limit this discussion to 2 dimensions for ease of intuition. My understanding of the 17 crystallographic plane groups is that these 17 groups represent all the possible symmetry groups of any ...
4 votes
2 answers
180 views

Crystal structures exhibiting dimeric arrangement of tetrahedrally coordinated cations

I am looking for inorganic crystal structures that exhibit tetrahedrally coordinated cations arranged in a vertex-sharing dimer arrangement, where the cation - shared vertex - cation angle is close to ...
1 vote
2 answers
156 views

What is the inconsistency in calculating the differences in Na2O and NaOH in solids (v2)?

(Note that this question has been fully edited for clarity, SE help advised not to delete the question and post another). Background: I have a computer model in which I feed it input data from various ...
17 votes
2 answers
1k views

Why doesn't tantalum and tungsten form amalgam?

User @Poutnik has recently answered a question in which he quoted this statement from Wikipedia: Almost all metals can form amalgams with mercury, the notable exceptions being iron, platinum, ...
1 vote
2 answers
343 views

Lattice enthalpy and ionic character

As we move down in sulphates of group 2 their solubility decreases because there is a drastic decrease in hydration enthalpy as compared to decrease in lattice enthalpy. Does the decrease in lattice ...
6 votes
1 answer
901 views

Why is cuprous oxide a p-type semiconductor?

Wikipedia — Copper(I) oxide says $\ce{Cu2O}$ has semiconducting properties without any explanation. Nolan [1] talks about $\ce{Cu^+}$ vacancies making copper(I) oxide an extrinsic p-type semiconductor,...
0 votes
2 answers
99 views

Regarding colour visibility due to F-centre

Below shown image is a cut out from the NCERT book. Referring to the highlighted sentences: I know that an $\ce{e^-}$ absorbs and emits light of a particular wavelength when bound in an atom and ...
4 votes
1 answer
493 views

Why can't the Fajans' rule and lattice energy theory be used to explain the difference in thermal stability of magnesium and calcium carbonates?

$\ce{CaCO3}$ is more thermally stable than $\ce{MgCO3}.$ I do understand that a larger cation would be able to stabilize a larger anion to a greater extent, but why can't we use Fajans' rule or ...
2 votes
0 answers
59 views

Factor Group Analysis of Na2SO4 - Site Group Symmetry

I'm still trying to understand how to construct a factor group analysis for a given molecular point group and the resulting solid state group symmetry. For this I searched for some examples and found ...
2 votes
1 answer
772 views

How do different x-ray tube emission profiles (i.e copper vs cobalt sources) affect XRD samples containing iron (results included)?

Background: I'm a student and have recently done some XRD on some iron ore mine tailings which came from an Australian mine tailings storage dam. The redness in colour and industry source led me to ...
6 votes
1 answer
9k views

Number of octahedral and tetrahedral voids present in a HCP structure

The given image depicts the tetrahedral and octahedral voids in HCP structure. For the tetrahedral part I figured out that there would be 6 tetrahedral voids in total. My visualisation: In the ...
2 votes
1 answer
54 views

Why and how are mullites (and in extension solid solutions) formed and how are their formulas conceived as opposed to regular crystalline solids?

From doing more Phase ID for XRD on aluminosilicate based coal fly ash samples, I've seen mullite phases appear a few times which have the non-stoichiometric chemical formula $Al_{4+2_x}Si_{2-2x}O_{10-...
0 votes
1 answer
39 views

Is there any calcium carbonate analogue drawing carbon from dry air?

Is there a nonliving (wood does not count) substance or process that accretes a solid material by withdrawing carbon from the air, in a manner analogous to calcium carbonate being accreted from ...
1 vote
2 answers
597 views

How does lime prevent soda lime glass from dissolving in water?

How does lime addition as an ingredient prevent soda lime glass from dissolving in water? Does it form calcium silicate in the process of melting?
13 votes
2 answers
768 views

What does β stand for in β-potassium zirconate?

What do the Greek letters (α, β, γ...) convey when they are prefixed to a crystalline substance? For example: β-potassium zirconate
1 vote
1 answer
39 views

Solid state chemistry current in tunnel diode [closed]

I am interested in this subject: Applied Mathematics in Electrical Engineering. I am interested in finding an expression for the tunnel current of a tunnel diode in the negative differential ...
6 votes
1 answer
265 views

How does heating alkali metals with graphite change its conductivity and density?

My textbook says when heating potassium, rubidium, cesium with graphite, the metals react by invading the space between the layers. They form highly colored interstitial carbides that are non ...
1 vote
0 answers
76 views

Why can we use the arrhenius equation to measure the number of vacancies in a material?

In a materials science video I was watching today the prof. said we could use the arrhenius equation to estimate the number of vacancy point defects in a material. And gave the following equation: Nv =...
2 votes
1 answer
71 views

What are some good synthetic samples I can make myself to start getting better at Quantitative X-Ray Diffraction?

I'm a student wanting to become an expert in quantitative X-Ray Diffraction (QXRD) to determine the wt%s of both crystalline and amorphous phases in a solid specimen. At my university I have access to ...
2 votes
0 answers
83 views

Is there a chemical compound which does not have a liquid state but a solid and a gaseous state? [duplicate]

Is there a chemical compound which does not have a liquid state but a solid and a gaseous state? Meaning no matter the temperature or pressure it will never be in its liquid form. According to my ...
2 votes
1 answer
435 views

Why is diamond not the most dense substance?

Diamond is the hardest substance on earth which can be attributed to its tightly-bonded crystal lattice. Hence, assuming there were a substance more dense than diamond (which there are), mustn't it be ...
5 votes
2 answers
10k views

Understanding Equivalent Wyckoff positions

I'm somewhat confused by the concept of Wyckoff positions in crystal structures. From Quantum Chemistry of Solids by Robert Evarestov, the definition of a Wyckoff position is "all the crystallographic ...
14 votes
2 answers
2k views

Will a solid object lose or gain atoms on standing over time (without being acted upon by external influences)?

Suppose I'm in my room with my keyboard, my desktop and my desk. Are these objects losing or gaining atoms every second? Or are they forever stuck with the same number of particles until you scratch, ...
11 votes
1 answer
6k views

Are all lattices Bravais lattices?

Can all lattices be described as one of the fourteen Bravais lattices? Is the hexagonal close packed structure also one of the fourteen Bravais lattices?
4 votes
1 answer
365 views

How do you write fractional hydrates in words?

Apart from sequihydrate and hemihydrate (1.5 and 0.5 respectively), I can't find a way to write any other fractional hydrates. Wikipedia states: The notation "hydrated compound⋅nH2O", where ...
2 votes
1 answer
304 views

What is m.2m point group?

I'm using Bilbao Crystallographic Server to find 3D crystallographic point groups of the K points of anatase TiO2. Since the space group of anatse TiO2 is $I4_1/amd$, on this page, I found the point ...
23 votes
6 answers
5k views

Are there any ionic amorphous solids?

This question on NaCl crystalization actually got me wondering: are there any ionic amorphous solids? Like ionic crystals are crystalline materials of electrostatically-attracted ions, can ions form ...
-4 votes
1 answer
258 views

How Amorphous solids are converted to Crystalline?

I know about a process of Annealing where a crystalline solid is heated to its melting point and then cooled rapidly so as to form amorphous solid which has random crystallite in uts structure. But ...

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