Born-Mayer type calculations

For the constitution of the ionic lattices also, the Van der Waals attraction has been found to be a very decisive factor. We know the forces at present much better for these ions than for the neutral molecules. Using an interaction of the form (21), Born and Mayer have calculated the lattice energy of all alkali halides for the NaCl-type and simultaneously for the CsCl-type and comparing the stability of the two types they could show quantitatively that the relatively great Van der Waals attraction between the heavy ions Cs, I , Br, Cl cf. Table II.) accounts for the fact that CsCl, CsBr, Csl, and these only, prefer a lattice structure in which the ions of the same kind have smaller distances from each other than in the NaCl-type. The contribution of the Van der Waals forces to the total lattice energy of an ionic lattice is of course a relatively small one, it varies from I per cent, to 5 per cent., but just this little amount is quite sufficient to explain the transition from the NaCl-type to the CsCl-type. 

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