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Related Concept Videos

Polymer Classification: Crystallinity01:21

Polymer Classification: Crystallinity

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Unlike ionic or small covalent molecules, polymers do not form crystalline solids due to the diffusion limitations of their long-chain structures. However, polymers contain microscopic crystalline domains separated by amorphous domains.
Crystalline domains are the regions where polymer chains are aligned in an orderly manner and held together in proximity by intermolecular forces. For example, chains in the crystalline domains of polyethylene and nylon are bound together by van der Waals...
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Structures of Solids02:22

Structures of Solids

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Solids in which the atoms, ions, or molecules are arranged in a definite repeating pattern are known as crystalline solids. Metals and ionic compounds typically form ordered, crystalline solids. A crystalline solid has a precise melting temperature because each atom or molecule of the same type is held in place with the same forces or energy. Amorphous solids or non-crystalline solids (or, sometimes, glasses) which lack an ordered internal structure and are randomly arranged. Substances that...
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Phase Transitions: Melting and Freezing02:39

Phase Transitions: Melting and Freezing

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Heating a crystalline solid increases the average energy of its atoms, molecules, or ions, and the solid gets hotter. At some point, the added energy becomes large enough to partially overcome the forces holding the molecules or ions of the solid in their fixed positions, and the solid begins the process of transitioning to the liquid state or melting. At this point, the temperature of the solid stops rising, despite the continual input of heat, and it remains constant until all of the solid is...
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Molecular and Ionic Solids02:54

Molecular and Ionic Solids

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Crystalline solids are divided into four types: molecular, ionic, metallic, and covalent network based on the type of constituent units and their interparticle interactions.
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Molecular crystalline solids, such as ice, sucrose (table sugar), and iodine, are solids that are composed of neutral molecules as their constituent units. These molecules are held together by weak intermolecular forces such as London dispersion forces, dipole-dipole interactions, or hydrogen bonds, which...
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Recrystallization: Solid–Solution Equilibria01:10

Recrystallization: Solid–Solution Equilibria

1.2K
Recrystallization is a purification technique used to separate impurities from solid compounds. In this technique, no chemical reactions occur. Instead, it exploits physical properties only, specifically, the solubility differences between the desired compound and impurities, either at a single temperature or at different temperatures, and under other selected conditions. The solid-solution equilibrium (solubility equilibrium) of each component in the solution represents a binary phase...
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Metallic Solids02:37

Metallic Solids

18.6K
Metallic solids such as crystals of copper, aluminum, and iron are formed by metal atoms. The structure of metallic crystals is often described as a uniform distribution of atomic nuclei within a “sea” of delocalized electrons. The atoms within such a metallic solid are held together by a unique force known as metallic bonding that gives rise to many useful and varied bulk properties.
All metallic solids exhibit high thermal and electrical conductivity, metallic luster, and malleability....
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 4, 2025

Methods of Ex Situ and In Situ Investigations of Structural Transformations: The Case of Crystallization of Metallic Glasses
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Methods of Ex Situ and In Situ Investigations of Structural Transformations: The Case of Crystallization of Metallic Glasses

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A general structural order parameter for the amorphous solidification of a supercooled liquid.

Gang Sun1, Peter Harrowell1

  • 1School of Chemistry, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia.

The Journal of Chemical Physics
|July 15, 2022
PubMed
Summary

This study introduces a new method to describe amorphous solidification at the atomic level by measuring atomic restraint. This approach simplifies understanding the glass transition and the behavior of supercooled liquids.

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Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Chemical Physics
  • Condensed Matter Physics

Background:

  • The glass transition, a critical phenomenon in materials science, lacks a comprehensive atomic-level description for amorphous solidification.
  • Understanding the factors governing the transition from liquid to solid states in amorphous materials remains a significant challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a general atomic-level description for amorphous solidification.
  • To introduce a novel measure for atomic restraint within a material's configuration.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing instantaneous normal modes to quantify the capacity of a material's configuration to restrain atomic motion.
  • Analyzing the relationship between atomic restraint and the properties of fragile and strong liquids.

Main Results:

  • Instantaneous normal modes provide a quantitative measure of atomic restraint.
  • This measure effectively differentiates between fragile and strong liquids.
  • The atomic restraint measure correlates with the collective length scale of supercooled liquids.

Conclusions:

  • The proposed measure of atomic restraint offers a significant simplification in describing amorphous solidification.
  • This systematic treatment elucidates the impact of microscopic factors on amorphous solid formation.
  • The findings provide a new framework for studying glass transition phenomena.