Textbook Question
Sodium oxide (Na2O) adopts a cubic structure with Na atoms represented by green spheres and O atoms by red spheres.
(c) The unit cell edge length is 5.550 Å. Determine the density of Na2O.
Ch.12 - Solids and Modern Materials
Brown15th EditionChemistry: The Central ScienceISBN: 9780137542970
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Table of contents
- Ch.1 - Introduction: Matter, Energy, and Measurement146
- Ch.2 - Atoms, Molecules, and Ions200
- Ch.3 - Chemical Reactions and Reaction Stoichiometry176
- Ch.4 - Reactions in Aqueous Solution155
- Ch.5 - Thermochemistry126
- Ch.6 - Electronic Structure of Atoms131
- Ch.7 - Periodic Properties of the Elements126
- Ch.8 - Basic Concepts of Chemical Bonding123
- Ch.9 - Molecular Geometry and Bonding Theories143
- Ch.10 - Gases147
- Ch.11 - Liquids and Intermolecular Forces91
- Ch.12 - Solids and Modern Materials122
- Ch.13 - Properties of Solutions126
- Ch.14 - Chemical Kinetics174
- Ch.15 - Chemical Equilibrium101
- Ch.16 - Acid-Base Equilibria139
- Ch.17 - Additional Aspects of Aqueous Equilibria146
- Ch.18 - Chemistry of the Environment72
- Ch.19 - Chemical Thermodynamics129
- Ch.20 - Electrochemistry142
- Ch.21 - Nuclear Chemistry101
- Ch.22 - Chemistry of the Nonmetals68
- Ch.23 - Transition Metals and Coordination Chemistry66
- Ch.24 - The Chemistry of Life: Organic and Biological Chemistry10
Brown15th EditionChemistry: The Central ScienceISBN: 9780137542970Not the one you use?Change textbook
Chapter 12, Problem 111b
Silicon carbide, SiC, has the three-dimensional structure shown in the figure.
(b) Would you expect the bonding in SiC to be predominantly ionic, metallic, or covalent?
Verified step by step guidance1
Step 1: Identify the elements present in silicon carbide (SiC). Silicon (Si) and carbon (C) are the elements involved.
Step 2: Determine the type of elements involved. Silicon is a metalloid and carbon is a non-metal.
Step 3: Analyze the electronegativity difference between silicon and carbon. Silicon has an electronegativity of 1.90 and carbon has an electronegativity of 2.55.
Step 4: Consider the bonding characteristics. A small electronegativity difference (less than 1.7) typically indicates covalent bonding.
Step 5: Examine the 3D structure of SiC. The structure shows a network of atoms bonded in a lattice, which is characteristic of covalent network solids.
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Key Concepts
Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.
Bonding Types
There are three primary types of chemical bonding: ionic, covalent, and metallic. Ionic bonds form between atoms with significantly different electronegativities, resulting in the transfer of electrons. Covalent bonds involve the sharing of electrons between atoms with similar electronegativities, while metallic bonds occur in metals where electrons are delocalized, allowing for conductivity and malleability.
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Bonding Types
Electronegativity
Electronegativity is a measure of an atom's ability to attract and hold onto electrons. In the context of bonding, the difference in electronegativity between two atoms can help predict the type of bond that will form. A large difference typically indicates ionic bonding, while a small difference suggests covalent bonding. Silicon (Si) and carbon (C) have similar electronegativities, which influences the nature of their bonding in silicon carbide.
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Crystal Structure
The crystal structure of a material describes the orderly arrangement of atoms within it. In silicon carbide (SiC), the three-dimensional structure shown in the image indicates a covalent network, where each silicon atom is covalently bonded to carbon atoms in a tetrahedral arrangement. This structure contributes to the material's hardness and thermal stability, characteristics typical of covalent compounds.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question
Energy bands are considered continuous due to the large number of closely spaced energy levels. The range of energy levels in a crystal of copper is approximately 1×10−19 J. Assuming equal spacing between levels, one can approximate the spacing between energy levels by dividing the range of energies by the number of atoms in the crystal. b. Determine the average spacing in J between energy levels in the copper metal in part (a).
Textbook Question
What type of lattice—primitive cubic, body-centered cubic, or face-centered cubic—does each of the following structure types possess: (e) ZnS?