The Physics Of A Crystal :: essays research papers

The Physics of a Crystal Most simple chemical compounds lie down of watch glasss. If you were to examine a lump of crystalline material very closely, you would be able to see tiny individual crystals. All crystals have a definite geometric shape, determined by the way the atoms ar coupled together. Mineralogists recognize 32 diverse classes of crystal, which atomic number 18 grouped into seven crystal systems. Crystal systems atomic number 18 exposit by their axis, which are imaginary lines that break the center of opposing faces of a crystal. For example, if a cubic crystal has threesome sets of opposing faces, it has three axes. They are all of equal length and are all at right angles to each other. Cubic crystals are described as being isometric line, but not all isometric crystals are plain cubes. If the corners of a cube are cut off, the result is a polyhedron with six octagonal faced and eight triangular ones.Aside from the isometric system, there is also a tetragonal , orthorhombic, monoclinic, triclinic and hexagonal system. Crystals may strain when a solution of a substance evaporates. Crystals may also trope when a vapor or molten substance solidifies. Allotropes are different forms of the same element. For Example, oxygen has two allotropes, normal oxygen and ozone. Pure atomic number 6 also has two allotropes, diamond and graphite. A crystal of diamond is in fact a single giant molecule in which all carbon atom is linked to four other, by four equal, punishing bonds. These bonds are arranged tetrahedrally round each atom and there are no planes along which the giant molecule can easily be split. This quality is what gives diamond its tremendous hardness.