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Solid solution

 
Solid Solution

 
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Solid solution
 
 
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A solid solution is a solid
Solid

A solid object is in the states of matter characterized by resistance to deformation and changes of volume. In other words, it has high values both of Young's modulus and of shear modulus; this contrasts e.g....
-state
Phase (matter)

In the physical sciences, a phase is a region of space , throughout which all physical properties of a material are essentially uniform. Examples of physical properties include density, refractive index, and chemical composition....
 solution
Solution

In chemistry, a solution is a homogeneous mixture composed of two or more substances. In such a mixture, a solute is dissolved in another substance, known as a solvent....
 of one or more solutes in a solvent
Solvent

A solvent is a liquid or gas that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute, resulting in a solution.The most common solvent in everyday life is water....
. Such a mixture
Mixture

In chemistry, a mixture is a substance made by combining two or more different materials without a chemical reaction occurring .While there are no physical changes in a mixture, the chemical properties of a mixture, such as its melting point, may differ from those of its components....
 is considered a solution rather than a compound
Chemical compound

A chemical compound is a Chemical substance consisting of two or more different chemical element Chemical bond together in a fixed mass ratio that can be split into simpler substances....
 when the crystal structure
Crystal structure

In mineralogy and crystallography, a crystal structure is a unique arrangement of atoms in a crystal. A crystal structure is composed of a motif, a set of atoms arranged in a particular way, and a lattice....
 of the solvent remains unchanged by addition of the solutes, and when the mixture remains in a single homogeneous phase
Phase (matter)

In the physical sciences, a phase is a region of space , throughout which all physical properties of a material are essentially uniform. Examples of physical properties include density, refractive index, and chemical composition....
.






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Solid Solution
A solid solution is a solid
Solid

A solid object is in the states of matter characterized by resistance to deformation and changes of volume. In other words, it has high values both of Young's modulus and of shear modulus; this contrasts e.g....
-state
Phase (matter)

In the physical sciences, a phase is a region of space , throughout which all physical properties of a material are essentially uniform. Examples of physical properties include density, refractive index, and chemical composition....
 solution
Solution

In chemistry, a solution is a homogeneous mixture composed of two or more substances. In such a mixture, a solute is dissolved in another substance, known as a solvent....
 of one or more solutes in a solvent
Solvent

A solvent is a liquid or gas that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute, resulting in a solution.The most common solvent in everyday life is water....
. Such a mixture
Mixture

In chemistry, a mixture is a substance made by combining two or more different materials without a chemical reaction occurring .While there are no physical changes in a mixture, the chemical properties of a mixture, such as its melting point, may differ from those of its components....
 is considered a solution rather than a compound
Chemical compound

A chemical compound is a Chemical substance consisting of two or more different chemical element Chemical bond together in a fixed mass ratio that can be split into simpler substances....
 when the crystal structure
Crystal structure

In mineralogy and crystallography, a crystal structure is a unique arrangement of atoms in a crystal. A crystal structure is composed of a motif, a set of atoms arranged in a particular way, and a lattice....
 of the solvent remains unchanged by addition of the solutes, and when the mixture remains in a single homogeneous phase
Phase (matter)

In the physical sciences, a phase is a region of space , throughout which all physical properties of a material are essentially uniform. Examples of physical properties include density, refractive index, and chemical composition....
. The solute may incorporate into the solvent crystal lattice substitution
Substitution

: For Wikipedia Template Substitution, see...
ally, by replacing a solvent particle in the lattice, or interstitial
Interstitial

Interstitial may refer to:* Interstitial program, short television programming which is often shown between movies or other events* Interstitial defect, a crystallographic defect that may be occupied by another atom...
ly, by fitting into the space between solvent particles. Both of these types of solid solution affect the properties of the material by distorting the crystal lattice and disrupting the physical and electrical homogeneity of the solvent material.

Some mixtures will readily form solid solutions over a range of concentrations, while other mixtures will not form solid solutions at all. The propensity for any two substances to form a solid solution is a complicated matter involving the chemical
Chemistry

Chemistry is the science concerned with the composition, structure, and properties of matter, as well as the changes it undergoes during chemical reactions....
, crystallographic
Crystallography

Crystallography is the experimental science of determining the arrangement of atoms in solids. In older usage, it is the scientific study of crystals....
, and quantum
Quantum mechanics

Quantum mechanics is a set of principles underlying the most fundamental known description of all physical systems at the microscopic scale . Notable amongst these principles are both a dual wave-like and particle-like behavior of matter and radiation, and prediction of probabilities in situations where classical physics predicts certaintie...
 properties of the substances in question. Solid solutions, in accordance with the Hume-Rothery rules
Hume-Rothery rules

The Hume-Rothery rules, named after William Hume-Rothery, are a set of basic rules describing the conditions under which an element could dissolve in a metal, forming a solid solution....
, may form if the solute and solvent have:
  • Similar atomic radii
    Atomic radius

    Atomic radius, is called the width of an atom, but it is true it is not a precisely defined physical quantity, nor is it constant in all circumstances....
     (15% or less difference)
  • Same crystal structure
    Crystallite

    A crystallite is a domain of solid-state matter that has the same structure as a single crystal. Metallurgy often refer to crystallites as "grains"....
  • Similar electronegativities
    Electronegativity

    Electronegativity, symbol χ, is a chemical property that describes the ability of an atom to attract electrons towards itself in a covalent bond....
  • Similar valency
    Valence (chemistry)

    In chemistry, valence, also known as valency or valency number, is a measure of the number of chemical bonds formed by the atoms of a given chemical element....


The phase diagram
Phase diagram

A phase diagram in physical chemistry, mineralogy, and materials science is a type of Graph of a function used to show conditions at which thermodynamically-distinct phase can occur at thermodynamic equilibrium....
 in Fig. 1 displays an alloy
Alloy

An alloy is a partial or complete solid solution of one or more chemical element in a metallic matrix. Complete solid solution alloys give single solid phase microstructure, while partial solutions give two or more phases that may be homogeneous in distribution depending on thermal history....
 of two metal
Metal

In chemistry, a metal is a chemical element whose atoms readily lose electrons to form positive ions , and form metallic bonds between other metal atoms and ionic bonds between nonmetal atoms....
s which forms a solid solution at all relative concentration
Concentration

In chemistry, concentration is the measure of how much of a given chemical substance there is mixed with another substance. This can apply to any sort of chemical mixture, but most frequently the concept is limited to homogeneous solutions, where it refers to the amount of solute in the solvent....
s of the two species. In this case, the pure phase of each element is of the same crystal structure, and the similar properties of the two elements allow for unbiased substitution through the full range of relative concentrations.

Solid solutions have important commercial and industrial applications, as such mixtures often have superior properties to pure materials. Many metal alloys are solid solutions. Even small amounts of solute can affect the electrical and physical properties of the solvent.

The binary phase diagram
Phase diagram

A phase diagram in physical chemistry, mineralogy, and materials science is a type of Graph of a function used to show conditions at which thermodynamically-distinct phase can occur at thermodynamic equilibrium....
 in Fig. 2 at right shows the phases of a mixture of two substances in varying concentrations, alpha and beta. The region labeled "alpha" is a solid solution, with beta acting as the solute in a matrix of alpha. On the other end of the concentration scale, the region labeled "beta" is also a solid solution, with alpha acting as the solute in a matrix of beta. The large solid region in between the alpha and beta solid solutions, labeled "solid alpha and beta", is not a solid solution. Instead, an examination of the microstructure
Microstructure

Microstructure is defined as the structure of a prepared surface or thin foil of material as revealed by a microscope above 25X magnification ....
 of a mixture in this range would reveal two phases — solid solution alpha-in-beta and solid solution beta-in-alpha would form separate phases, perhaps lamella or grain
Crystallite

A crystallite is a domain of solid-state matter that has the same structure as a single crystal. Metallurgy often refer to crystallites as "grains"....
s.

Exsolution

When a solid solution becomes unstable — due to a lower temperature, for example — exsolution occurs and the two phases separate into distinct microscopic to megascopic lamellae. An example of this is the alkali feldspar
Feldspar

Feldspars are a group of rock-forming tectosilicate minerals which make up as much as 60% of the Earth's Crust .Feldspars crystallize from magma in both intrusive and extrusive igneous rocks, as veins, and are also present in many types of metamorphic rock....
 mineral variety perthite
Perthite

Perthite is used to describe an intergrowth of two feldspars: a host grain of potassium-rich alkali feldspar includes exsolved lamellae or irregular intergrowths of sodic alkali feldspar ....
 in which thin white albite
Albite

Albite is a plagioclase feldspar mineral. It is the sodium Endmember of the plagioclase solid solution series. As such it represents a plagioclase with less than 10% anorthite content....
  layers alternate between typically pink microcline
Microcline

Microcline is an important igneous rocks-forming Silicate minerals mineral. It is a potassium-rich alkali feldspar. Microcline typically contains minor amounts of sodium....
.

Examples



See also

  • Phase diagram
    Phase diagram

    A phase diagram in physical chemistry, mineralogy, and materials science is a type of Graph of a function used to show conditions at which thermodynamically-distinct phase can occur at thermodynamic equilibrium....
  • Eutectic point
    Eutectic point

    The melting point of a mixture of two or more solids depends on the relative proportions of its ingredients. A eutectic or eutectic mixture is a mixture at such proportions that the melting point is as low as possible, and that furthermore all the constituents crystallize simultaneously at this temperature from molten liquid solution....