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Ch.8 - Basic Concepts of Chemical Bonding
Chapter 8, Problem 23c

(c) Would you expect salts like NaCl, which have singly charged ions, to have larger or smaller lattice energies compared to salts like CaO which are composed of doubly-charged ions?

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Lattice Energy

Lattice energy is the amount of energy released when gaseous ions combine to form an ionic solid. It is a measure of the strength of the forces between the ions in an ionic compound. Higher lattice energy indicates stronger ionic bonds, which typically results in higher melting points and greater stability of the compound.
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Lattice Energy

Charge of Ions

The charge of ions significantly influences lattice energy. Ions with higher charges create stronger electrostatic attractions between them, leading to greater lattice energy. For example, doubly charged ions like Ca²⁺ and O²⁻ will interact more strongly than singly charged ions like Na⁺ and Cl⁻, resulting in a higher lattice energy for compounds formed from doubly charged ions.
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Polyatomic Ion Charges

Ionic Size

The size of the ions also affects lattice energy. Smaller ions can get closer together, increasing the electrostatic attraction and thus the lattice energy. In contrast, larger ions have a greater distance between them, which can reduce the strength of the ionic bond. Therefore, the combination of ion charge and size is crucial in determining the overall lattice energy of a salt.
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