The Solid State, Learn the concepts and get the easiest notes!

A solid-state is nothing but one of the states of matter. In our school days, we have learned matter exists in three states. These are solid, liquid, and gas. However, as we move ahead from lower to higher classes, the notion gets higher, and there are more concepts to learn and understand about. In this blog, we will be learning the concept of solid-state in a broader facet and learn all the essential terminologies, including the characteristics and types of solids. Solids usually display features that differ from liquids and gases. For instance, they have the aptitude to restrict any force that is applied to their surface However, the solid-state of compounds majorly relies on the features of atoms, like their arrangement and the forces acting between them.

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Table of Content

Physical and Chemical Properties of Solid States

Solid State Chemistry

Types of Solid State

Crystalline Solid State

Properties of Crystalline Solids

Types of Crystalline Solids

Amorphous Solid State

Properties of Amorphous Solids

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Physical and Chemical Properties of Solid States 

Solids are incompressible. It means that 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 because of less space between the constituent particle, which turn them rigid.
• Solids have definite mass, volume, and shape because of which it has a dense arrangement of constituent particles.
• The intermolecular distance between molecules is short. Due to this reason, the force between the constituent particles is very strong. These constituent particles can include atoms, ions, and molecules.
• The constituent particles can only swing about their mean positions. 

Solid State Chemistry 

Solid state in the field of Chemistry is the analysis of the properties, structure, and synthesis of sold materials. It is sometimes called 'State Chemistry'. More importantly,  in solid-state Chemistry,  we study the notion of a compound in a deep manner. It lends a hand to learning the compound from the molecular level to the crystal structure level. 

In solid-state Chemistry, nonstoichiometric compounds are divided as exclusive solid-state compounds because of their structure and thermodynamic features. 

Types of Solid State

Depending upon the arrangement of constituent particles, solids are categorized into two state types-

• Crystalline Solids
• Amorphous Solids

Crystalline Solid State

Crystalline Solids have a classic geometry. In such kinds of solids, there are explicit arrangements of particles right through the 3-dimensional network of a crystal in a long variety order. For example, Quartz, Sodium Chloride, Diamond, etc.

Properties of Crystalline Solids

• Crystalline solids have a sharp melting point and begin melting when they attain a specific temperature. 
• The shape of crystalline solids is exact and has the usual arrangements of particles. 
• They display division property, i.e., when they are cut with the sharp edge instrument, they are divided into two pieces, and the recently created surfaces are smooth and plain. 
• They have distinct heat of fusion. The amount of energy required to melt a given mass of solid as its melting point.
• Crystalline solids are anisotropic in nature. It means their physical traits, such as electrical antagonism of refractive index, depict different values when they are calculated along with different directions in a similar crystal.
• Crystalline solids are true solids.

Types of Crystalline Solids 
Depending upon the nature of intermolecular forces or chemical bonding, crystalline solids are further divided into four categories. These are as follows-

• Molecular solids
• Metallic solids
• Ionic Solids
• Covalent solids

Amorphous Solid State

Amorphous solid state includes those solids, which are rigid and incompressible in nature but to a particular limit. They do not have an exact geometrical form or a long variety of order. For example, glass, plastic, and rubber.

Properties of Amorphous Solids 

• Amorphous Solids are eventually softened over a variety of temperatures, and they can be mounded into diverse shapes on heating.
• Amorphous solids are super-cooled liquids or pseudo-solids. This means they have the propensity to flow very slowly. If you view the glass pans, which are set to windows of old buildings, they are found to be somewhat denser from the bottom than at the top.
• Amorphous solids have uneven shapes, i.e., their constituent particles, and do not have explicit geometry of structures. 
• When amorphous solids are cut with a sharp edge instrument, they are divided into pieces of uneven surface.
• Amorphous solids do not have a specific heat of fusion because of their uneven arrangements of particles.
• Amorphous solids are isotropic in nature. It means the value of any physical traits would be similar along any direction due to its uneven arrangement of particles.