What structural units make up ionic solids?
Answers
The force of attraction between the ions is called an ionic bond. These crystals are formed between constituents which have very large differences in electron attracting power so as to allow complete trnsfer of electrons from one costituent to another. The force of attraction between the ions is purely electrostatic. Examples of ionic solids are: NaCl, CsCl and ZnS. Since these ions are held in fixed positions, there, ionic solids do not conduct eletricity in the solid state. They conduct eletricity in the fused state. The forces of attraction in ionic solids are very strong and therefore they exibit high melting points and cleave only if force is applied along certain directions. All ionic solids are hard and brittle. It may be observed that movement of layers of ions brings ions of the same charge near each other and this causes strong repulsions which lead to the breakdown of the crystal.