Crystalline and Amorphous Solids.docx - Crystalline and...

Crystalline and Amorphous Solids
Differences between Crystalline and Amorphous Solids
(i) Characteristic Geometry: In crystalline solids the particles (atoms, ions, or molecules) are
definitely and orderly arranged thus these have characteristic geometry while amorphous solids do
not have characteristic geometry.
(ii) Melting Point: A crystalline solid has a sharp melting point, i.e., it changes into liquid state at
a definite temperature. On the contrary an amorphous solid does not have a sharp melting point.
For example, when glass is heated, it softens and then starts flowing without undergoing any
abrupt or sharp change from solid to liquid state. Therefore, amorphous solids are regarded as