Atomic Bonding in Solids

Atomic bonding in solids is the net sum of the

distance-dependent forces or energies:
attractive (FA) and repulsive (FR) forces
attractive (EA) and repulsive (ER) energies which are.

The net force (FN) or net energy (EN) between two

atoms is the sum of both forces or energies; ie.

FN = FA + FR
EN = EA + ER

The dependence of repulsive, attractive, and net forces /potential energies on interatomic
separation for two isolated atoms. ro = Equilibrium Spacing; Eo = Bonding Energy.

 When there is no net force (FN = 0) or

minimum net energy, a state of equilibrium
exists and the centres of the two atoms will
remain separated by the equilibrium spacing
(r0).
The bonding energy (E0) between two
atoms corresponds to the energy at r0, and
represents the energy required to separate
them.

 Many properties of materials depend on

E0,
curve shape
bonding type

In general,
Materials with large E0 have high melting point.
Solids are formed for large E0, liquids for medium E0
and gases for small E0.
Stiffness or elastic modulus of a material is dependent
on the shape of its force vs interatomic separation
curve.
The thermal expansion coefficient of a material is
related to the shape of its E0 vs r0 curve

Force versus interatomic separation for weakly and strongly bonded

atoms.

(a) Plot of potential energy vs interatomic distance, demonstrating the increase in interatomic
separation with rising temperature. With heating, the interatomic separation increases from r0 to
r1 to r3 and so on. (b) For a symmetric potential energy versus interatomic distance curve, there
is no increase in interatomic separation with rising temperature (ie. r1=r2=r3).