What term describes the energy required to completely separate the cations from the anions in an ionic solid?

What term describes the energy required to completely separate the cations from the anions in an ionic solid?

• A. Lattice Energy
• B. Bond Dissociation Energy
• C. Ionization Energy
• D. Enthalpy of Vaporization

Answer: (A)

Lattice energy is the energy required to completely separate the cations from the anions in an ionic solid. In an ionic crystal, strong electrostatic attractions bind the ions into a lattice, so the lattice energy represents how much energy you must supply to pull those ions apart into gaseous ions. The magnitude grows with larger charges and smaller ion sizes, reflecting the stronger Coulombic attraction between ions. Other terms describe different ideas: Bond dissociation energy breaks covalent bonds within molecules, ionization energy removes electrons from atoms, and enthalpy of vaporization is the energy to convert a solid into a gas, not to separate ions in a lattice.

Lattice energy is the energy required to completely separate the cations from the anions in an ionic solid. In an ionic crystal, strong electrostatic attractions bind the ions into a lattice, so the lattice energy represents how much energy you must supply to pull those ions apart into gaseous ions. The magnitude grows with larger charges and smaller ion sizes, reflecting the stronger Coulombic attraction between ions. Other terms describe different ideas: Bond dissociation energy breaks covalent bonds within molecules, ionization energy removes electrons from atoms, and enthalpy of vaporization is the energy to convert a solid into a gas, not to separate ions in a lattice.