Question

When two separate pieces of sodium chloride crystals are physically put together, no wonder that they will not fuse with each other. But I don’t understand why. Ionic bonds are described to be non-directional and bonds should be formed between the sodium ions and chloride ions in the two pieces of sodium chloride crystals. Why must I melt the two pieces of crystals to fuse them together/ evaporate a solution in which the two pieces of crystals have dissolved?

Answer 1

When two separate pieces of sodium chloride crystals are physically put together, they will not fuse because the crystal lattice prevents the ions from moving. To fuse the crystals together, you must melt them or dissolve them in a solution to break apart the crystal lattice and allow the individual ions to move.

Step-by-step explanation:

Ionic bonds are formed between ions with opposite charges. For example, positively charged sodium ions and negatively charged chloride ions bond together to make crystals of sodium chloride. These crystals create a tightly bound, three-dimensional lattice structure. When two separate pieces of sodium chloride crystals are physically put together, they will not fuse because the crystal lattice prevents the ions from moving. In order to fuse the crystals together, you must melt them or dissolve them in a solution to break apart the crystal lattice and allow the individual ions to move.