Dated: 01/01/19

Assignment Of:

“Chemistry”
Topic:

“Structure of Sodium Chloride”

Submitted From:
Muhammad Zakaria Malkani
Submitted To:

“Professor Arshad Iqbal”

Class:

BS Chemistry (Semester-I)

Roll Number: 18-C-50

Session: 2018-22

“Govt. Postgraduate College Taunsa Sharif”

NaCl Structure Solid State:
Sodium Chloride is an ionic compound which is formed by sodium ion and chloride ion.
Due to opposite charges, sodium ions and chloride ions are bonded with electrostatic force of
attraction which is also known as ionic bond. So sodium ion loses one electron and chlorine
accepts same to form chloride ion. Here sodium ion carries positive charge and chloride ion
carries negative charge. The formula of sodium chloride is NaCl because one sodium ion is
bonded with one chloride ion. The chemical formula also remains same in
solid state. Sodium chloride consists of a giant lattice of ions in which sodium ions and chloride
ions are arranged in pattern.

NaCl Structure Unit Cell:

The three-dimensional structure of solids can be described with the help of certain
basic units which are called as unit cell. Unit cell can be defined as the simplest basic units
which repeat itself in a certain pattern to form the complete crystal lattice.

The unit cell of NaCl represents that each sodium ion is surrounded by 6 chloride ions and each
chloride ion is surrounded by 6 sodium ions. Here small balls represent sodium ions and bigger
ones are for chloride ions. So we can say that in sodium chloride crystal lattice, sodium ions and
chloride ions alternate with each other in each of the three dimensions. The bond is only
between those ions which are joined by lines. At center of unit cell, there is a sodium ion which
is being touched by 6 chloride ions. If chloride ion is located at the center, it would be touched
by 6 sodium ions. So the coordination ratio in sodium chloride would be 6:6.
Crystal Structure of NaCl Unit Cell:

In an ionic solid, opposite charged ions are placed in a certain pattern which is endless repeating
pattern. It forms a complete crystal lattice of ionic solids. For example; NaCl is an ionic solid which
is made of sodium ions and chloride ions. The size and arrangement of ions in lattice depends on
the physical size of the crystal and constituent ions. The spacing between the Na+ and Cl- ions,
is around 240 pm and the edge of 2.4 mm of crystal contains around 107 Na+ - Cl- units. The edge
of cube is 2mm which will have about 2 x 1021 atoms. The constituent ions arrange themselves
in crystal lattice with no voids.