What is Lattice Energy?

 Lattice energy is a measure of the strength of the ionic bonds in an ionic compound.
 It provides insight into several properties of ionic solids including their volatility, their
solubility, and their hardness.
 The lattice energy of an ionic solid cannot be measured directly.
 However, it can be estimated with the help of the Born-Haber cycle.
 Generally, this quantity is expressed in terms of kilojoules per mole (kJ/mol).

Definition
Lattice energy can be defined as the energy required to convert one mole of an ionic
solid into gaseous ionic constituents.

 Alternatively, it can be defined as the energy that must be supplied to one mole of an ionic
crystal in order to separate it into gaseous ions in a vacuum via an endothermic process.

 Therefore, this quantity always holds a positive value.

 Some sources define lattice energy in the opposite manner, i.e. the amount of energy
released when an ionic solid is formed from its gaseous ionic constituents via an exothermic
process.
 According to this definition, lattice energy must always hold a negative value.

Example
The crystal lattice of a sodium chloride molecule is illustrated below.
 Lattice Energy in NaCl
In the case of this ionic molecule, the lattice energy is the energy required for the
following reaction to proceed.

NaCl(s) → Na+ (g) + Cl– (g)

Here, the energy that must be supplied to 1 mole of sodium chloride to separate it into
gaseous Na+ and Cl– ions is 786 kilojoules.

Comparison Between Lattice Energy and Lattice

Enthalpy
The molar lattice energy of an ionic crystal can be expressed in terms of molar lattice
enthalpy, pressure, and change in volume via the following equation:

ΔLatticeU = ΔLatticeH – pΔVm

Where:


o


 ΔLatticeU denotes the molar lattice energy.

 ΔLatticeH denotes the molar lattice enthalpy.
  ΔVm is the change in volume (per mole).
 p is the pressure.

Therefore, the outer pressure is also considered when calculating the lattice energies of
ionic solids.

Calculating the Change in Energy for the formation of

NaCl (Born-Haber Cycle)
Sodium chloride can be formed via two methods:

Direct Method: Metallic sodium reacts with chlorine gas to form sodium
chloride.

Indirect method: This method of forming sodium chloride involves several steps:

Sublimation of sodium: Solid sodium changes to gaseous sodium via a sublimation

process. The energy required for this to occur is the sublimation energy (+S).

The ionization of sodium: The sodium atom loses an electron to form a sodium ion.
The energy required is the ionization potential (+IP).

Dissociation of chlorine: The chlorine molecule dissociates into two chlorine atoms,
the energy required is the dissociation energy (+D/2).

Formation of chloride ion: The Cl atom accepts an electron to form a chloride ion. The
energy liberate is the electron affinity (-Ea).

Formation of Sodium Chloride: Sodium ions combine with chloride ions to form
sodium chloride. The amount of energy liberated is the lattice energy.