What make a crystalline solid?
Any solid that has an orderly arrangement of atoms can be a crystal. This arrangement promotes the formation of smooth surface called crystal faces But, not all minerals exhibit crystal faces. Recall when magma cools rapidly, only very small crystals form within a limited space. Many other physical properties are determined by this orderly atomic arrangement. Atoms and Bonding Recall that atoms are the fundamental building blocks of all matter Atoms are made up of charged particles in the nucleus (protons (+) and neutrons (o)) surrounded by electrons (-) Stable atoms are electrically neutral but some atoms donate or accept electrons from the outermost shell (orbit).
