The Chemistry of Solids, Part 1 - General Properties

Greetings,

This post, and several to follow, will feature lessons on properties and structures of the three states of matter. The fundamentals for each state will be laid out first followed by posts covering more challenging concepts.

Energy and Forces

The strength of adhesion or bonding between particles of matter (ions, atoms, or molecules) determines the state of matter at a particular temperature.  This post, and the several to follow, will assume a standard temperature of 0 deg. Celsius unless indicated otherwise.

Forces of Attraction Among Solid State Particles

The solid state of matter consists of particles held together by the strongest forces of the three states.  Depending on the nature of the individual particles involved, the relative strengths of attractive forces will vary.  The great forces involved between solid particles is what give the solid state of matter the general properties it has.

General Properties of The Solid State

A solid contains particles "locked in place" within its structure, which prevents fluid motion of the solid state, as a whole.  The relatively high strength of particle attraction within the solid state means that heat energy (often exceedingly great amounts) must be added in order to obtain a liquid state: the process of melting.  Some solid materials will actually directly change into the gas state: the process of sublimation.  A solid is very difficult to compress due to the very close relationship of the particles contained within.

A few properties of solids are demonstrated in the following presentation.

That's all for this post. Thank you for reading.

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