Some properties of solids can be explained in terms of the chemical bonds that form between the atoms. In this section, crystal that are held together by ionic bonds and van der Waals bonds will be discussed.
Reading
Kittel chapter 3: Crystal Binding or R. Gross und A. Marx: Bindungskräfte in Festkörpern
For the exam
- Be able to describe a van der Waals bond
- Be able to define an ionic crystal and a molecular crystal; be able to explain how these differ from a metal.
- Know how to calculate the cohesive energy and the bulk modulus of an ionic crystal; know what the Madelung constant is.
- Be familiar with the crystal structures of NaCl, CsCl, and Zincblende and know why the ionic radii determine which of these crystal structures an ionic crystal will have.