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Metallic Solids

Metallic Solids

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....

Ionic Crystal Structures

Ionic Crystal Structures

Ionic crystals consist of two or more different kinds of ions that usually have different sizes. The packing of these ions into a crystal structure is more complex than the packing of metal atoms that are the same size.
Most monatomic ions behave as charged spheres, and their attraction for ions of opposite charge is the same in every direction. Consequently, stable structures for ionic compounds result (1) when ions of one charge are surrounded by as many ions as possible of the opposite...

Structures of Solids

Structures of Solids

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...

Lattice Centering and Coordination Number

Lattice Centering and Coordination Number

The structure of a crystalline solid, whether a metal or not, is best described by considering its simplest repeating unit, which is referred to as its unit cell. The unit cell consists of lattice points that represent the locations of atoms or ions. The entire structure then consists of this unit cell repeating in three dimensions. The three different types of unit cells present in the cubic lattice are illustrated in Figure 1.
Types of Unit Cells
Imagine taking a large number of identical...

Unit Cells

Unit Cells

A crystal's internal structure is an orderly array of atoms, ions, or molecules, and the details of this array significantly influence the solid's properties. In a crystal, periodically repeating 'structural motifs' - which could be atoms, molecules, or groups thereof - create a 'space lattice.' This is essentially a three-dimensional, infinite array of points, each surrounded by its neighbors in an identical way, forming the basic structure of the crystal.A 'unit cell' is a theoretical...

Network Covalent Solids

Network Covalent Solids

Network covalent solids contain a three-dimensional network of covalently bonded atoms as found in the crystal structures of nonmetals like diamond, graphite, silicon, and some covalent compounds, such as silicon dioxide (sand) and silicon carbide (carborundum, the abrasive on sandpaper). Many minerals have networks of covalent bonds.
To break or to melt a covalent network solid, covalent bonds must be broken. Because covalent bonds are relatively strong, covalent network solids are typically...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 6, 2026

$High Pressure Single Crystal Diffraction at PX^2$

High Pressure Single Crystal Diffraction at PX^2

Published on: January 16, 2017

Bulk hexagonal diamond.

Shoulong Lai¹, Xigui Yang², Jiuyang Shi³

¹Henan Key Laboratory of Diamond Materials and Devices, Key Laboratory of Integrated Circuit, Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.

|March 4, 2026

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers synthesized hexagonal diamond (HD), a rare carbon polymorph, from graphite. This breakthrough confirms HD

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Published on: September 26, 2014

Area of Science:

Materials Science
Solid State Physics
Crystallography

Background:

Cubic diamond (CD) is a well-established material with significant industrial applications.
Hexagonal diamond (HD), a polymorph of CD, has been theorized but lacked experimental evidence.
The properties and existence of HD have been subjects of scientific debate.

Purpose of the Study:

To synthesize phase-pure hexagonal diamond (HD).
To experimentally confirm the existence and characterize the properties of HD.
To elucidate the transformation pathway from graphite to HD.

Main Methods:

Synthesis of HD from highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) under specific temperature and pressure conditions.
Advanced structural characterizations (e.g., X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy).
Theoretical simulations to understand the graphite-to-diamond phase transition.

Main Results:

Successful synthesis of millimetre-sized, phase-pure HD.
Confirmation of HD's unique crystal structure and identity.
HD exhibits superior hardness compared to CD and high thermal stability.
Clarification of the transformation mechanism from HOPG to HD.

Conclusions:

The existence of hexagonal diamond (HD) as a discrete carbon phase is experimentally confirmed.
HD possesses unique properties, including enhanced hardness and thermal stability.
This research opens avenues for HD's application in advanced technologies and resolves a long-standing scientific controversy.