🧊Crystalline solid vs Amorphous solid🪟
Solids divide into crystalline and amorphous depending on whether their particles are arranged in a regular pattern.
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🧊Crystalline solid
- ✓Particles in an ordered repeating lattice
- ✓Sharp, definite melting point
- ✓Often has flat faces and clean cleavage
- ✓Anisotropic properties
- ✓Examples: salt, diamond, quartz
🪟Amorphous solid
- ✓Particles arranged randomly
- ✓Softens over a temperature range
- ✓Breaks with irregular surfaces
- ✓Isotropic properties
- ✓Examples: glass, rubber, plastic
Verdict
Crystalline solids have orderly lattices and sharp melting points; amorphous solids are disordered and soften gradually. The internal arrangement decides their behavior.
Frequently asked
Why does glass not have a sharp melting point?+
Glass is amorphous, so its disordered structure softens gradually over a temperature range.
What does anisotropic mean?+
Properties vary with direction, a feature of ordered crystalline solids.
Is rubber crystalline or amorphous?+
Rubber is an amorphous solid with a disordered, random arrangement of particles.
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