Structure of

matter

Prepared by-
Dr. Fahmida Sharmin
Matter is anything that has mass and takes up space. It
consists of subatomic particles, atoms, ions, and compounds.
Sometimes these particles are tightly bound and close
together, while other times particles are loosely connected
and widely separated. States of matter describe the qualities
displayed by matter.
 Solid and its classification

• Solid-state is one of the states of matter

• We have learnt that matter exists in three states – solid, liquid and gas.
• In this lesson, we will be dealing with the concept of solid-state in a broader aspect and understand all the
underlying terms, including the properties as well as the types of solids.
• Solids generally exhibit certain characteristics that set them apart from liquids and gases.

Physical and Chemical Properties of Solids

•Solids are incompressible, which means the constituent particle is arranged close to each other and because of
that, there is negligible space between the constituent particle.
•Solids are rigid. This is due to the lack of space between the constituent particles.
•Solids have def inite mass, volume and shape, due to which it has a compact arrangement of constituent
particles.
•The intermolecular distance between molecules is short. Due to this, the force between the constituent
particles (atoms, molecules or ions) is very strong.
•The constituents particles can only oscillate about their mean positions.
 Based on the arrangement of constituent particles, solids are classified into two-state types:
1. Crystalline Solids
2. Non-crystalline/Amorphous Solids

Crystalline Solid
Crystalline solids are those that have a typical geometry. In such types of solids, there are def inite arrangements of
particles (atoms, molecules or ions ) throughout the 3-dimensional network of a crystal in a long-range order.
Examples include Sodium Chloride, Quartz, Diamond, etc.

Properties of Crystalline Solids

•Crystalline solids have a sharp melting point and start melting when it reaches a particular temperature.
•The shape of crystalline solids is definite and has typical arrangements of particles.
•They show cleavage property, i.e., when they are cut with the edge of a sharp tool, they split into two pieces, and the
newly generated surfaces are smooth and plain.
Single crystal

When the periodicity in crystal pattern extends throughout a certain piece of material, one speaks of
a single crystal or unit crystal or mono-crystal.
Calcite, quartz, etc. are examples of common single crystal.

Polycrystalline solids

When the periodicity in the crystal structure is interrupted at

s o- c alled grain boundaries , the c rys tal is s aid to be
polycrystalline. Rock, sand, metals, salts, etc. are some
examples of polycrystalline solids.
 Uses of crystalline solids

Examples: Quartz, Calcite, Sugar, Mica, Diamonds etc.

There are many applications of crystalline solids, some are:

• Diamond is the most decent example of crystalline solids and is

widely used in making beautiful jewelry items
• Quartz is extensively used in manufacturing of watches and clocks
• Many crystalline solids are used as a raw material in many
industries
 Crystal structure

L a ttic e : A 3- dime ns iona l s y s te m of points tha t de s igna te the pos itions of the
components(atoms, ions, or molecules) that make up the substance.
Unit Cell: The smallest repeating unit of the lattice. The lattice is generated by repeating the unit
cell in all three dimensions
 Coordination Number and Number of Atoms Per Unit Cell

In a unit cell, an atom's coordination number is

the number of atoms it is touching.

•The simple cubic has a sphere at each corner

of a cube. Each sphere has a coordination
number of 6 and there is 1 atom per unit cell.
•The body-centered cubic (bcc) has a sphere at
each corner of a cube and one in the center.
Each sphere has a coordination number 8 and
there are 2 atoms per unit cell.
•The face-centered cubic (fcc) has a sphere at
each corner and each face of a cube. Each
sphere has a coordination number of 12 and
there are 4 atoms per unit cell.

A unit cell can either be primitive cubic, body-

centred cubic (BCC) or face-centred cubic (FCC)
 Number of Atoms Per Unit Cell

1.The atoms in the primitive cubic unit cell are present only at the corners
2.Every atom at the corner is shared among eight adjacent unit cells
3.Therefore, a particular unit cell has the only 1/8th of an atom
The total number of atoms in one unit cell is
8 × 1/8 = 1 atom.

in a BCC cell, we have:

•8 corners × 1/8 per corner atom = 8 × 1/8 = 1 atom
•1 body center atom = 1 × 1 = 1 atom
Therefore, the total number of atoms present per unit cell = 2 atoms.

in a face-centred cubic unit cell, we have:

•8 corners × 1/8 per corner atom = 8 × 1/8 = 1 atom
•6 face-centred atoms × 1/2 atom per unit cell = 3 atoms
Therefore, the total number of atoms in a unit cell = 4 atoms.
The seven crystal systems are a method of
classifying crystals according to their atomic
lattice or structure

The “lattice parameter” is the length between

two points on the corners of a unit cell,
designated by the letters a, b, and c. The angles
are designated by the Greek letters α, β, and γ
Seven crystal systems
Mathematician Auguste Bravais discovered that there were 14 different collections of the groups of
points, which are known as Bravais lattices
 L2

Lattice parameters and lattice constant

The lattice constant [or lattice parameter] refers to the constant distance
between unit cells in a crystal lattice. Lattices in three dimensions
generally have three lattice constants, referred to as a, b, and c. However,
in the special case of cubic crystal structures, all of the constants are
equal and we only refer to a. Similarly, in hexagonal crystal structures, the
a and b constants are equal, and we only refer to the a and c constants. A
group of lattice constants could be referred to as lattice parameters.
However, the full set of lattice parameters consist of the three lattice
constants and the three angles between them.
For example the lattice constant for a
common carbon diamond is a = 3.57Å at
300 K . T h e st r u ct u r e i s e qu i l a t e ra l
although its actual shape can not be
determined from only the lattice constant.
As lattice constants have the dimension
of length, their SI unit is the meter. Lattice
constants are typically of the order of
se v e ra l a n gst r om s ( i .e . t e n t h s of a
nanometre). Lattice constants can be
determined using techniques such as X-
ray diffraction

Thus, the tree fundamental translation vectors along with

opposite angles each of between two crystallographic axis
as shown in f igure are the lattice parameters and the distance
between two identical atoms or molecules is the lattice
constant
Amorphous Solid

Amorphous It is the opposite extreme of a single crystal. They do not

have a def in ite geometrical form or long range of order. Examples
include glass, rubber, plastic, etc. When the size of the grains or
crystallites becomes comparable to the size of the pattern unit, we
speak of amorphous substances. A typical feature of these substances
is that they have no def in ite melting points. As their temperature is
increased, they gradually become soft; their viscosity drops, and begins
to behave like ordinary viscous liquids.

Properties of Amorphous Solids

•Amorphous solids are gradually softened over a range of temperatures,
and they can be molded into different shapes on heating.
•Amorphous solids are pseudo-solids or supercooled liquids, which
means they have a tendency to flow very slowly
•Amorphous solids have irregular shapes. i.e., their constituent particles
do not have definite geometry of arrangements.
•When amorphous solids are cut with a sharp edge tool, they form pieces
with irregular surfaces.
Formation of amorphous solids

In numerous instances amorphous solids are formed when liquids are

cooled below the melting temperature.

This occurs for two reasons:

1) the structure of the molecules is so complex that they cannot easily
rearrange themselves to form a crystalline structure, and/or
2) the solid forms so rapidly that the atoms or molecules do not have
time enough to rearrange themselves in a crystalline structure.

Solids with pure ionic bonds do not form amorphous solids but all the
other bond types can produce amorphous solids. Silica (SiO 2 ) can form
either covalent amorphous solids, usually called glasses or regular crystal
structures (Quartz).
 Quartz is crystalline but quartz glass is amorphous

Silicon and oxygen are the most abundant

elements on the earth’s crust. Silicon is found in
nature always chemically combined with oxygen
to which it binds with the strong chemical bond
Si-O. This simple combination of these elements
(Silicon Oxide) is known as Silica. Silicon dioxide
exists naturally in the crystalline form known as
quartz. Although the chemical composition and
the basic structural units of a quartz crystal and
quartz glass are the same—both are SiO2 and
both consist of linked SiO 4 tetrahedra—the
arrangements of the atoms in space are not.
Crystalline quartz contains a highly ordered
arrangement of silicon and oxygen atoms, but in
quartz glass the atoms are arranged almost The lattice of crystalline
randomly. When molten SiO2 is cooled rapidly (4 quartz (SiO2). The atoms form
K/min), it forms quartz glass, whereas the large, a regular arrangement in a
perfect quartz crystals sold in mineral shops
structure that consists of
have had cooling times of thousands of years.
linked tetrahedra
Difference between Crystalline and Amorphous Solid
Density of materials and Packing fraction
g/mol
 6.02214076×1023
/

6.02214076×
1023
per mol
 Atomic Packing Factor (APF)

In crystallography, atomic packing factor (APF) or packing fraction is the

fraction of volume in a crystal structure that is occupied by atoms. It is
dimensionless and always less than unity. For practical purposes, the
APF of a crystal structure is determined by assuming that atoms are
rigid spheres. The radius of the spheres is taken to be the maximal
value such that the atoms do not overlap. It is def ined as the ratio of the
actual volume occupied by the spherical atoms to the total available of
the structure. It is also known as relative pacing density, ef ficiency or
packing fraction.
For one-component crystals (those that contain only one type of atom),
the APF is represented mathematically by
Vol. of sphere