List five main characteristics of ionic crystals that result from their high dissociation energy.

Understanding why ionic crystals have high melting and boiling points can be intriguing. Ionic bonds are the electrostatic forces of attraction that hold the oppositely charged ions together in a sturdy lattice arrangement. It takes a considerable amount of energy to break these bonds due to their strength, characterized by high dissociation energy. This substantial energy requirement translates into high melting and boiling points for ionic substances.

In simpler terms, imagine the ionic bonds as super-strong magnets requiring significant force to pull apart. Just like you'd need to exert much effort to separate strong magnets, a lot of heat, which is essentially energy, is necessary to separate the ions in an ionic crystal, leading it to melt or boil at high temperatures.

The brittleness of ionic crystals might seem counterintuitive given their strong ionic bonds, but it's this very strength that contributes to their brittleness. Think of them like a ceramic tile—hard and strong, but if you drop it, the tile shatters easily. This happens because when you apply a force to an ionic crystal, it can cause the layers of ions to shift. If ions of the same charge are pushed next to each other, they repel, and this repulsion can cause the crystal to crack or shatter.

The high dissociation energy refers to how strongly each ion is bonded to its neighbors, which doesn't change the fact that when alliances are forced to change, the crystal structure deteriorates, just as swiftly as a house of cards collapses if you try to remove a card from the bottom.

The ability of ionic substances to conduct electricity is a tale of two states—solid and liquid. In their solid form, ionic crystals are like a tightly packed crowd of people where no one can move; there's no flow of electrical charge because the ions are fixed in place. But, once the crystal is melted or dissolved in a polar solvent such as water, the scenario changes dramatically.

The previously stationary ions are now free to move, akin to people in a crowd who start to walk around. This freedom of movement allows ions to carry electrical current, and the high dissociation energy initially required to free them signifies that once in motion, their charge is sufficient for conduction.

Ionic crystals are known for their solubility in polar solvents, and water is the most common example. Polar solvents have partially positively and negatively charged ends, which are attracted to the oppositely charged ions in the crystal. It's like how a sponge draws in water.

The polar molecules surround and pull away the ions from the crystal lattice in a process called solvation. The high energy initially holding the ions together (the high dissociation energy) is overcome by the energy released during solvation. This results in the ionic crystal dissolving, much in the same way sugar dissolves in your tea.

When it comes to the formation of coordination compounds, ionic crystals are potential key players. The metal cations within them act like hosts at a party, ready to attract guests—the ligands. These ligands, which are molecules or ions, coordinate around the metal cation, forming complex structures with new properties.

The high dissociation energy of the ionic bond ensures that the metal cations remain charged and ready to bond with these guests, just as a good host remains inviting and open to guests. As a result, interesting and diverse coordination compounds emerge, which are vital in many biological systems and technological applications.