Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry · Syllabus 0620 · Atoms, Elements and Compounds
Giant ionic lattice
What is Giant ionic lattice?
The structure of an ionic compound: a regular three-dimensional arrangement in which positive and negative ions alternate, each ion surrounded by ions of the opposite charge. The electrostatic attractions act in all directions and continue throughout the whole crystal, so an ionic compound has no molecules, only a repeating pattern of ions in a fixed ratio.
This definition is part of the Atoms, Elements and Compounds chapter in Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry.