Question

lonic compounds are crystalline solids and brittle.why
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Answer 1

Answer:

Explanation:

The ionic compounds are very hard and brittle. In ionic compounds  the ions are rigidly held in a lattice because the positive and negative ions are strongly attracted to each other and difficult to separate. But the brittleness of a compound is how easy it is to shift the position of atoms or ions in a lattice. If we apply a pressure on the ionic compounds the layers shifts slightly. the Same charged ions in the lattice comes closer. A repulsive forces arises between same charged ions. due to this repulsions the lattice structure breaks down.