Phases of Matter III - Amorphous Solids
Written by Translator on June 22, 2008 – 7:49 pm -Getting down to basics, “amorphous” just means that the solid in question can not be isolated to a unit that repeats, like salt or diamond. The units making up amorphous solids are irregular, and not well defined. Let us take charcoal as an example, and it is a complex one, but it serves to make the point.
By definition, charcoal is the residue from the destructive distillation of wood. Wood is a very complex material, and some of its components are somewhat crystalline. But take that wood, and subject it to high heat without any oxygen, and things change.
Tags: Amorphous, Matter, Solids, Teaching
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