Network solid

A solid whose atoms form a continuous network of strong bonds rather than discrete molecules or ions. Its extended bonding often gives it high hardness and melting points.

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Covalent bond: A chemical bond formed when atoms share electron pairs. Many network solids are extended structures of atoms joined by covalent bonds.
Diamond: A crystalline form of carbon in which each atom is covalently bonded to four neighbors. Its rigid three-dimensional carbon network makes diamond exceptionally hard.
Silicon carbide: A hard ceramic compound of silicon and carbon with several crystalline structures. Its strongly bonded framework supports use in abrasives and high-temperature components.
Molecular solid: A solid composed of discrete molecules held together by intermolecular forces. Its molecules remain distinct, unlike the continuous atomic framework of a network solid.
Crystal structure: The ordered arrangement of atoms, ions, or molecules in a crystalline solid. A network solid’s properties depend on how its bonded framework is arranged in three dimensions.
Graphite: A form of carbon composed of covalently bonded sheets held together by weaker forces. Its layered network is strong within sheets but allows them to slide past one another.
Boron nitride: A compound of boron and nitrogen that forms several structures, including graphite-like and diamond-like forms. Its different network structures yield materials used as lubricants, insulators, and abrasives.
Ionic solid: A solid made of oppositely charged ions held together by electrostatic attraction. Ionic crystals form extended lattices, but their defining bonds join ions rather than covalently connected atoms.
Coordination number: The number of nearest neighboring atoms, ions, or molecules around a specified particle. It describes how many bonded neighbors each atom has within a network.
Silicon dioxide: A compound of silicon and oxygen that occurs in crystalline and amorphous forms. Quartz is a familiar network structure built from connected silicon–oxygen units.