Lattice energy is the energy required to split ions of a solid into gaseous ions and atoms. It is measured in kilojoules per mole and used to determine the stability of ionic solids. The Born-Haber cycle is used to calculate lattice energy, which involves ionization energy, electron affinity, dissociation energy, sublimation energy, and heat of formation. Lattice energy trends determine whether the ions bind or the solid is crushed. Hess’ law is used to calculate energy changes in any process. Lattice energy cannot be measured directly.
Lattice energy is a form of atomic potential energy. It is the amount of energy required to split the ions of a solid into gaseous ions and atoms, from which a positive value is obtained. The reverse form, where energy is released as the ions bond during the formation of a solid, produces a negative value. The standard units for lattice energy values are kilojoules per mole (kJ/mol), and the primary application for calculating this atomic energy is to describe how stable a particular ionic solid is.
Ionic solids have a crystalline structure, so each ion can interact with a few others of opposite charge. The ordered structure allows the ions to interact even though the thermodynamic energy available to drive any process, or entropy, is low. When ions of opposite charges interact, a large amount of energy is released, a property that causes ionic solids to have very high melting and boiling points.
The energy required for these reactions can be determined by calculating the lattice energy for the ions. Lattice energies are calculated by applying the Born-Haber cycle, which involves a combination of energy concepts used to derive an accurate measurement. Ionization energy, the energy required to separate an electron from an atom or ion, and electron affinity, the energy released by adding an electron to a neutral atom or ion, are included in these calculations. Other values include dissociation energy, the need to break a compound; sublimation energy, which can cause a substance to change from a solid to a gas; and heat of formation, the change in energy when a compound is created from its basic elements.
Energy changes in any process can be calculated by breaking things down step by step, which is explained by Hess’ law. Rearranging the Born-Haber cycle equation to calculate lattice energy, we get the result of subtracting the heat of formation from the heat of atomization, the value of the dissociation energy, minus the sum of the ionization energies, minus the sum of electron affinities. This result describes the release of energy when metallic and nonmetallic ions form a solid. Lattice energy trends define whether the solid is crushed, for which the end result is a positive value, or the ions bind, resulting in a negative energy value. These energy values are always estimated using Born-Haber cycle principles because lattice energy cannot be measured directly.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
