Factors Affecting Lattice Energy

Lattice Energy of an ionic compound depends upon various factors that are,

Charge of Ions
Size of Ions
Polarizability of Ions
Ionization Energy
Electron Affinity

Let’s learn about these factors in detail.

Charge of Ions

Lattice energy generally increases with the magnitude of the charge on the ions. This is because the electrostatic forces holding the ions together are stronger when the charges are larger.

Size of Ions

Lattice energy generally decreases with the size of the ions. This is because larger ions have a greater distance between their centers, which reduces the strength of the electrostatic forces holding them together.

Polarizability of Ions

Lattice energy generally decreases with the polarizability of the ions. This is because polarizable ions can more easily distort their electron clouds in response to the electrostatic forces of the other ions, which reduces the strength of the forces holding them together.

Ionization Energy

Lattice energy generally increases with the ionization energy of the ions. This is because a higher ionization energy means that it takes more energy to remove an electron from an atom, which means that the ion will be more stable and have a higher lattice energy.

Electron Affinity

Lattice energy generally increases with the electron affinity of the ions. This is because a higher electron affinity means that it takes more energy to add an electron to an atom, which means that the ion will be more stable and have higher lattice energy.

The lattice energy of combining two ions A and B is shown in the image added below.

Lattice Energy

Lattice Energy is the energy required to break apart an ionic compound into its gaseous ions. We can also define it as the energy released when the gaseous atoms combine to form a crystal lattice. The lattice energy of any compound cannot be directly measured and we use various methods or techniques to find the lattice energy such as the use of the Born Haber cycle to find the lattice energy of any compound. Lattice energy is measured in kJ/mol.

In this article, we will learn about Lattice energy, lattice enthalpy, their difference, and others in detail.