Elemental Success by Jupiter Luna · AP Chemistry · Topic 2.3

Ionic Lattice Explorer

Build a slice of an ionic solid and check it the way a reader would, strike it and watch the like charges line up, pull it apart to measure how strongly it is held, then melt it and see what carries the current.

Show equations (AP)

click a cell to place an ion

Data table

0 rows

#	Mode	Solid	Setting	Reading	Result
Press Record to keep a reading.

Investigations

1 · Pass the four checks

Build KCl, then RbF. Which check trips you on RbF, and why?

Before you check: which ion is bigger in RbF? Rb⁺ is 152 pm; F⁻ is 133 pm.

2 · Find the flip

Shift the layers slowly. At what shift does the interlayer force flip from attraction to repulsion? Then try the metal.

Predict first: a quarter of an ion, half an ion, or a whole ion?

3 · Strong and brittle at once

Pull NaCl apart and record the energy to separate the halves. Compare with MgO. Which is harder to pull apart, and do both still split when struck?

Melting points: NaCl 801 °C, MgO 2852 °C.

4 · What carries the current

Heat KCl until the bulb lights and record the temperature. Reset, then dissolve it instead. Repeat for MgO.

Write it the way a reader scores it: name the particles that move.

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