Republic of the Philippines

NUEVA VIZCAYA STATE UNIVERSITY

Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya
INSTRUCTIONAL MODULE
IM No.:IM6-CHEMENG-1S-2023-2024

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

Bayombong Campus

DEGREE PROGRAM BSCE/BSABE COURSE NO. CHEM ENG

SPECIALIZATION COURSE TITLE Chemistry for Engineers
YEAR LEVEL 1st TIME FRAME 2 HRS WK NO. 11 IM NO. 6

I. UNIT TITLE/CHAPTER TITLE

CHEMISTRY of ENGINEERING MATERIALS

II. LESSON TITLE

Solids and Crystal Structure

III. LESSON OVERVIEW

This lesson is an introduction to different types of solids used in various engineering purposes. Bonding in these
solids are also discussed in this topic.

IV. DESIRED LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of the lesson, the student should be able to classify solids according to the types of bonding interaction
that hold atoms together.

V. LESSON CONTENT

A. INTRODUCTION

Scientists and engineers turn almost exclusively to solids for materials used in many other technologies:
alloys for magnets and airplane turbines, semiconductors for solar cells and light-emitting diodes, polymers for
packaging and biomedical applications. In this lesson, we explore the structures and properties of solids.

B. STRUCTURES OF SOLIDS

1. Crystalline
Solids in which atoms are arranged in an orderly repeating pattern are called crystalline solids. These
solids usually have flat surfaces, or faces, that make definite angles with one another. The orderly
arrangements of atoms that produce these faces also cause the solids to have highly regular shapes.
Examples of crystalline solids include sodium chloride, quartz, and diamond.

Iron pyrite, FeS2, a crystalline solid

NVSU-FR-ICD-05-00 (081220) Page 1 of 8

“In accordance with Section 185 Fair Use of a Copyright Work of Republic Act 8293, the copyrighted works included in this material may be reproduced
for educational purposes only not for commercial distribution.”
 Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA VIZCAYA STATE UNIVERSITY
Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya
INSTRUCTIONAL MODULE
IM No.:IM6-CHEMENG-1S-2023-2024

2. Amorphous

Amorphous solids (from the Greek words for “without form”) lack the order found in crystalline solids.
At the atomic level the structures of amorphous solids are similar to the structures of liquids, but the
molecules, atoms, and/or ions lack the freedom of motion they have in liquids. Amorphous solids do not
have the well-defined faces and shapes of a crystal. Familiar amorphous solids are rubber, glass, and
obsidian (volcanic glass).

Obsidian (typically KAlSi3O8), an amorphous solid

C. METALLIC SOLIDS

Metallic solids, also simply called metals, consist entirely of metal atoms. Metallic solids are held together
by a delocalized “sea” of collectively shared valence electrons. This form of bonding allows metals to conduct
electricity. It is also responsible for the fact that most metals are relatively strong without being brittle. They
have properties such as malleability (can be hammered into thin sheets) and ductility (can be drawn into wires).

1. Structure of Metallic Solids

The crystal structures of many metals are simple enough that we can generate the structure by placing
a single atom on each lattice point.

The structures of (a) primitive cubic, (b) body-centered cubic, and (c) face-centered cubic metals

NVSU-FR-ICD-05-00 (081220) Page 2 of 8

“In accordance with Section 185 Fair Use of a Copyright Work of Republic Act 8293, the copyrighted works included in this material may be reproduced
for educational purposes only not for commercial distribution.”
 Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA VIZCAYA STATE UNIVERSITY
Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya
INSTRUCTIONAL MODULE
IM No.:IM6-CHEMENG-1S-2023-2024

A space-filling view of unit cells for metals with a cubic structure

2. Alloys
• Materials that contains more than one element and has the characteristic properties of a metal
• One of the primary ways of modifying the properties of pure metallic elements

Images of the plumber’s solder and dental amalgam alloys

NVSU-FR-ICD-05-00 (081220) Page 3 of 8

“In accordance with Section 185 Fair Use of a Copyright Work of Republic Act 8293, the copyrighted works included in this material may be reproduced
for educational purposes only not for commercial distribution.”
 Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA VIZCAYA STATE UNIVERSITY
Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya
INSTRUCTIONAL MODULE
IM No.:IM6-CHEMENG-1S-2023-2024

Types of Alloys
a. Substitutional
• Occurs when atoms of the solute in a solid solution occupy positions normally occupied by a solvent
atom.
• Formed when the two metallic components have similar atomic radii and chemical-bonding
characteristics.

b. Interstitial
• Occurs when the solute atoms occupy interstitial positions in the “holes” between solvent atoms.
• The solute atoms must have a much smaller bonding atomic radius than the solvent atoms.

c. Heterogeneous
• Characterized by non-uniform dispersal of components (more than two phases)
• Properties depend on both the composition and the manner in which the solid is formed from the
molten mixture

Microscopic view of the structure of the heterogeneous alloy pearlite

NVSU-FR-ICD-05-00 (081220) Page 4 of 8

“In accordance with Section 185 Fair Use of a Copyright Work of Republic Act 8293, the copyrighted works included in this material may be reproduced
for educational purposes only not for commercial distribution.”
 Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA VIZCAYA STATE UNIVERSITY
Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya
INSTRUCTIONAL MODULE
IM No.:IM6-CHEMENG-1S-2023-2024

d. Intermetallic compounds
• They have definite properties and their composition cannot be varied
• Atoms in an intermetallic compound are ordered rather than randomly distributed

Difference between an intermetallic compound and a standard alloy

Examples of intermetallic compounds. Ni3Al is used in aircraft engines

Alloys of Gold

Pure gold is too soft for many applications, including jewelry. To increase its strength and hardness,
as well as to modify its color, gold is often alloyed with other metals. In the jewelry trade pure gold is
termed 24-karat. The karat number decreases as the mass percent of gold decreases.

Colors of gold-silver-copper alloys as a function of composition

NVSU-FR-ICD-05-00 (081220) Page 5 of 8

“In accordance with Section 185 Fair Use of a Copyright Work of Republic Act 8293, the copyrighted works included in this material may be reproduced
for educational purposes only not for commercial distribution.”
 Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA VIZCAYA STATE UNIVERSITY
Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya
INSTRUCTIONAL MODULE
IM No.:IM6-CHEMENG-1S-2023-2024

D. METALLIC BONDING
• Characterized by collective sharing of valence electrons
• Changes in the positions of the atoms brought about in reshaping the metal are partly accommodated by a
redistribution of electrons
• When a voltage is applied to a metal wire, the electrons, being negatively charged, flow through the metal
toward the positively charged end of the wire.

Electron-sea model of metallic bonding

E. IONIC SOLIDS
• Held together by the electrostatic attraction between cations and anions.
• The high melting and boiling points of ionic compounds are a testament to the strength of the ionic bonds.
• Ions of opposite charge touch each other but ions of the same charge should not touch.

Cations are positive ions and anions are negative ones

NVSU-FR-ICD-05-00 (081220) Page 6 of 8

“In accordance with Section 185 Fair Use of a Copyright Work of Republic Act 8293, the copyrighted works included in this material may be reproduced
for educational purposes only not for commercial distribution.”
 Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA VIZCAYA STATE UNIVERSITY
Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya
INSTRUCTIONAL MODULE
IM No.:IM6-CHEMENG-1S-2023-2024

The structures of CsCl, NaCl and Zns

F. MOLECULAR SOLIDS
• Consist of atoms or molecules held together by dipole–dipole forces, dispersion forces, and/or hydrogen
bonds
• Are soft and have relatively low melting points.
• Most substances that are gases or liquids at room temperature form molecular solids at low temperature.
• Examples include Ar, H2O, and CO2.

Hydrogen bonding exhibit by water (white represents an H atom and red an O atom)

G. COVALENT NETWORK SOLIDS

• Consist of atoms held together in large networks by covalent bonds
• Have higher melting points than molecular solids

NVSU-FR-ICD-05-00 (081220) Page 7 of 8

“In accordance with Section 185 Fair Use of a Copyright Work of Republic Act 8293, the copyrighted works included in this material may be reproduced
for educational purposes only not for commercial distribution.”
 Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA VIZCAYA STATE UNIVERSITY
Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya
INSTRUCTIONAL MODULE
IM No.:IM6-CHEMENG-1S-2023-2024

Structures and images of diamond and graphite

VI. LEARNING ACTIVITIES

Indicate the type of crystal (molecular, metallic, ionic, or covalent network) each of the following would exhibit
upon solidification.
1. CaO
2. Si
3. Table sugar (C12H22O11)
4. Au
5. MgF2
6. HCl

VII. REFERENCES

1. Bergman, J. (2017). Substitutional and Interstitial Alloy. Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y31SRPKGaFI
2. Brown, T.L., LeMay Jr., H.E., Bursten, B.E., Murphy, C.J., Woodward, P.M. (2017). Chemistry - The
Central Science, 14th ed., Prentice-Hall International, Inc.
3. King, H.M. (n.d.). Obsidian. Retrieved from https://geology.com/rocks/obsidian.shtml
4. Whitten, K.W., Davis, R.E., Peck, M.L. and Stanley, G.G. (2014). Chemistry, 10th ed. Cengage
Learning.

NVSU-FR-ICD-05-00 (081220) Page 8 of 8

“In accordance with Section 185 Fair Use of a Copyright Work of Republic Act 8293, the copyrighted works included in this material may be reproduced
for educational purposes only not for commercial distribution.”