So far we have seen the internal structure isolated atom, and how electrons are arranged in it. The research that led to understand the atom led to the development of quantum mechanics .
However, the atoms are not isolated, but interact with other atoms and molecules, or radiation. The result of these interactions a set of atoms can occur in several different states, depending on the intensity of these interactions:
can form a gas, when interactions are weak, and reduced almost to collide among them, as if they were a bunch of billiard balls completely free to move around the table. The gas is adapted to the volume that is enclosed, occupied entirely.
form a liquid when forming bonds interactions are weak enough to bind molecules or atoms in a short period of time, so that all takes a certain cohesion, but the atoms and molecules retain a high mobility within the set. A liquid is adapted to the volume that contains it, but does not have to occupy it fully, such as when pouring water into a bottle, takes shape, but does not occupy the entire volume of the bottle.
and form a solid when interactions are able to make these lasting bonds between atoms and stable, so completely lost their mobility. A solid is rigid and not adapted to the volume that contains it. A solid has its own shape and volume.
A very important factor that determines whether the interactions are strong or weak, is the kinetic energy: the movement of atoms or molecules, if it is fast or slow. An indicator directly related to this parameter is temperature. In gases, the kinetic energy is high so that the interactions are effective only when the atoms pass very close to each other, resulting in collisions, but no brakes. It makes no sense to talk of a structure.
atoms or molecules in a liquid have a kinetic energy lower than the respective gas, so that the interactions are longer range and duration than in gases. The liquid also has a structure in itself, but may have small clusters of atoms or molecules, called "clusters" with a certain order or microscopic structure.
In a solid, the kinetic energy is so small that the interactions affect both the atoms are stopped, making the interactions between them stable and durable. In this case we can speak of a macroscopic structure of a material.
The crystalline solid
gases and liquids in the interactions between atoms are not stable or lasting. Therefore, the disturbance that would suffer the atoms are not stable, and its internal structure is not affected. In a solid
however, the interaction between atoms is so intense that keeps static, making them durable and stable as well. How do these interactions to the atoms and their internal structure? And how these differences contribute to a single atom properties of the solid?
A solid is a set of static atoms occupy given position. There is a first distinction in the structure of solids, depending on the positions of atoms:
Amorphous materials are materials that have atoms occupying the space of irregular shape: it is not possible to find a repeating pattern. An example of amorphous material is glass.
In crystalline materials, or crystals, the atoms maintain a position following a regular distribution. That is, a crystalline solid is formed by a small group of atoms with a specific structure and this structure is repeated periodically at fixed distances. The vast majority of the materials are crystalline. A well-known example is common salt, which is small cubes of sodium and chlorine which are repeated throughout the material.
An ideal crystal is constructed as an infinite repetition of a structural unit, or unit cell. " This in turn may contain several atoms, arranged in any way. Thus, there are two parts in the unit cell:
Network: The "box", or structure will be repeated throughout the crystal, which is delimited by vectors, which need not be perpendicular or have equal length.
Base: The contents of the structure, which is always the same, and always placed in the same positions and guidance regarding the origin of coordinates of the network.
lattice parameter is called the size of the network, which is what determines the frequency of the crystal. In a crystal can have different periodicities in each axis of space. As an origin of coordinates, it is possible to know the position of all atoms, since all are spaced an integral number of times the lattice parameter.
fundamental Networks A network is parameterized by a vector. They may have different sizes (giving rise to different periodicities in each direction), and need not be 90 º relative to each other. (In the drawings represented a 2-dimensional network defined by two vectors. A three-dimensional network is delimited by 3 vectors).
However, any network is valid. Are valid only to meet certain symmetries. For example, the Pentagon has a symmetry that is valid for a network, since that figure is not able to fill the space without leaving voids.
The symmetry that has a hexagon does allow, however, that a network can do:
Thus, the number of possible networks is limited. In two dimensions, there are only 5 types of networks, depending on the relative length of each vector, and the angle.
Each of these networks are called Network Bravais
To 3 dimensions, there are a few more: 14 Bravais lattices in total, grouped into 7 different systems.
Annex