2.1.3 Ionic Compounds

• The lattices formed by ionic compounds consist of a regular arrangement of alternating positive and negative ions in which the ions are tightly packed together
• • Strong electrostatic forces of attraction are present between oppositely charged ions, holding the lattice together
• • Electrostatic forces are strong, acting in all directions - they form the basis of ionic bonding
• • As a result of so many electrostatic forces existing in this lattice structure, ionic compounds have high melting and boiling points
• Solid ionic crystals contain huge numbers of ions and so are referred to as giant ionic lattices
• A limitation of the 3D ball and stick model is that it incorrectly depicts space existing between individual ions whereas the 3D space-filling model is more accurate (there is not much space between separate ions)