Structural Inorganic Chemistry Vocabulary Review

A collection of vocabulary flashcards for key terms and concepts in structural inorganic chemistry.

Interstitial Carbides

Metallic phases that incorporate non-metal atoms like H, C, N, where metal radii accommodate non-metal atoms in interstitial spaces.

Hägg Border

A criterion for the formation of interstitial phases defined by rx/rm ≤ 0.59.

Mohs Hardness

A scale of hardness used to rate materials, interstitial carbides have a Mohs hardness of ≥ 8.5.

Fire Resistant

A property of interstitial phases due to the stability of their structures at high temperatures.

Reactivity of Ionic Carbides

Ionic carbides, such as CaC, are reactive towards water.

Trigonal Prism

A common structural feature in some carbides, described by a metal ion in the center with zig-zag C-C structures.

Octahedral Holes

Spaces in a crystal lattice structure where coordination numbers can be occupied preferentially.

Tetrahedral Holes

Smaller interstices in a crystal lattice that can hold ions or atoms.

Cubic Diamond Structure

A structure formed when carbon atoms are arranged in a face-centered cubic lattice.

Pressure Coordination Rule

As pressure increases, the coordination number of atoms generally increases.

Pressure-Distance Paradox

The phenomenon where increased coordination number coincides with increased interatomic distances.

Spinels

A class of minerals with a cubic crystal structure characterized by specific arrangements of metal ions in tetrahedral and octahedral positions.

Normal Spinel

A structure where cations occupy tetrahedral and octahedral sites, typically with lower metal occupancy in tetrahedral sites.

Inverse Spinel

A structure where some cations occupy tetrahedral sites, while others occupy octahedral sites, often leading to higher occupancy of octahedral sites.

Crystal Field Stabilization Energy (CFSE)

The energy gained by arranging electrons in a way that minimizes repulsion between them, often used to predict the stability of a structure.

Zinc Blende Structure

A cubic crystal structure formed when carbon atoms in diamond are substituted alternately with sulfur and zinc.

Hydrolysis of Carbides

The reaction of carbides with water, leading to the release of gases such as hydrogen.

Coordination Number

The number of atoms immediately surrounding a central atom in a complex or crystal structure.

Face-Centered Cubic (FCC)

A type of crystal structure where atoms are located at each of the corners and the centers of all the cubic faces.

Hexagonal Close Packing (HCP)

A crystal structure with layers arranged in a hexagonal pattern, often leading to different interstitial site availability.

Cubic Close Packing (CCP)

An arrangement in which layers of spheres are packed tightly in a repeating pattern in three dimensions.

Metallic Appearance

A property of materials that indicates high conductivity and luster; often observed in interstitial phases.

Doping in Semiconductors

The process of adding impurities to semiconductor materials to change their electrical properties.

Ligand Field Theory

A theory that describes the electronic structure and stability of coordination compounds, particularly transition metal complexes.

Radius Ratio Rule

A guideline used to predict the stability of a ionic compound based on the relative sizes of cations and anions.

Solid State Chemistry

The study of the synthesis, structure, and properties of solid phase materials.

Valence Bond Theory

A theory that explains the electron pair bonds between atoms and the geometry of molecules.

Covalent Bonds

Strong bonds formed by the sharing of electrons between atoms.

Conductivity in Materials

The measure of how easily electrons can flow through a material.

C-C Zig-Zag Structures

Structural motif in certain carbides where carbon atoms are arranged in a zig-zag pattern.