Question

"Many metal diboride compounds like MgBX₂,TiBX₂, and ReBX₂ have laminated crystal structures with alternating sheets of metal atoms and boron atoms. If we polish the surface to ensure that only one type of atoms are facing outwards, will the two surfaces display different physical (such as friction coefficient, water contact angle) or chemical properties?

Answer 1

Polishing the surface of metal diboride compounds with alternating sheets of metal atoms and boron atoms will result in the two surfaces displaying different physical and chemical properties.

Step-by-step explanation:

When metal diboride compounds like MgBX₂, TiBX₂, and ReBX₂ have laminated crystal structures with alternating sheets of metal atoms and boron atoms, polishing the surface to ensure that only one type of atoms are facing outwards will result in the two surfaces displaying different physical and chemical properties.

Physical properties such as the friction coefficient and water contact angle can differ because the exposed atoms on the polished surface can interact differently with their environment compared to the atoms on the unpolished surface.

Chemical properties can also vary as the different exposed atoms may have different reactivity or ability to form compounds.