Bond properties ionic radius

Ionic bond, 287, 288 dipole of, 288 in alkali metal halides, 95 vs. covalent, 287 Ionic character, 287 Ionic crystal, 81, 311 Ionic radius, 355 Ionic solids, 79, 81, 311 electrical conductivity, 80 properties of, 312 solubility in water, 79 stability of, 311... 

Since the electron distribution function for an ion extends indefi-finitely, it is evident that no single characteristic size can be assigned to it. Instead, the apparent ionic radius will depend upon the physical property under discussion and will differ for different properties. We are interested in ionic radii such that the sum of two radii (with certain corrections when necessary) is equal to the equilibrium distance between the corresponding ions in contact in a crystal. It will be shown later that the equilibrium interionic distance for two ions is determined not only by the nature of the electron distributions for the ions, as shown in Figure 13-1, but also by the structure of the crystal and the ratio of radii of cation and anion. We take as our standard crystals those with the sodium chloride arrangement, with the ratio of radii of cation and anion about 0.75 and with the amount of ionic character of the bonds about the same as in the alkali halogenides, and calculate crystal radii of ions such that the sum of two radii gives the equilibrium interionic distance in a standard crystal. 

The ionic radius or electrostatic potential represents the physical property of metal cations and does not reflect the bonding character. The electronegativity of metal cations may be the more direct measure of the polarizing power than the ionic radius or electrostatic field when chemical bonding is expected between metal cations and the reactants. 

The atomic and ionic properties of an element, particularly IE, ionic radius and electronegativity, underly its chemical behaviour and determine the types of compound it can form. The simplest type of compound an element can form is a binary compound, one in which it is combined with only one other element. The transition elements form binary compounds with a wide variety of non-metals, and the stoichiometries of these compounds will depend upon the thermodynamics of the compound-forming process. Binary oxides, fluorides and chlorides of the transition elements reveal the oxidation states available to them and, to some extent, reflect trends in IE values. However, the lEs of the transition elements are by no means the only contributors to the thermodynamics of compound formation. Other factors such as lattice enthalpy and the extent of covalency in bonding are important. In this chapter some examples of binary transition element compounds will be used to reveal the factors which determine the stoichiometry of compounds. 

In (a) and (c) there would be no great difference between the characters of the A-S and B—S bonds in a particular compound, while in (b) the B and S atoms form a covalent complex which may be finite or infinite in one, two, or three dimensions. By analogy with oxides we should describe (a) and (c) as complex sulphides and (b) as thio-salts. Compounds of type (c) are not found in oxy-compounds, and moreover the criterion for isomorphous replacement is different from that applicable to complex oxides because of the more ionic character of the bonding in the latter. In ionic compounds the possibility of isomorphous replacement depends largely on ionic radius, and the chemical properties of a particular ion are of minor importance. So we find the following ions replacing one another in oxide structures Fe, Mg , Mn , Zn, in positions of octahedral coordination, while Na" " more often replaces Ca (which has approximately the same size) than K , to which it is more closely related chemically. In sulphides, on the other hand, the criterion is the formation of the same number of directed bonds, and we find atoms such as Cu, Fe, Mo, Sn, Ag, and Hg replacing Zn in zinc-blende and closely related structures. 

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