MHT-CET Chemistry · Teaching notes
Solid State — MHT-CET Chemistry
Solid State is the first chapter of the Class 12 Chemistry book and about three questions a paper in MHT-CET, with barely one in fifteen HARD. Two thirds of it is arithmetic on four numbers: the particles per cubic unit cell (1, 2, 4), the edge–radius relations, the packing efficiencies (52.4%, 68%, 74%) and the density formula that ties them to molar mass. The rest is recall: crystalline against amorphous, the seven crystal systems and fourteen Bravais lattices, the void counts, the named point defects, dopants and magnetism. The pages below run in the book's order, because each calculation page uses the constants the previous one fixed. Every PYQ is tagged.
Every subtopic, worked example, formula and trap in one printable document — answers shown, ready to share.
Subtopic notes
Types of Solids, Crystal Systems and Properties
17 PYQsA crystalline solid has long-range order, a sharp melting point and direction-dependent properties; an amorphous one has none of these. Crystalline solids sort into four bonding classes and their lattices into seven crystal systems with fourteen Bravais lattices.
Open note
Unit Cells, Edge Length and Atomic Radius
30 PYQsThe three cubic unit cells hold 1, 2 and 4 particles, and in each the atoms touch along one line — the edge, the body diagonal or the face diagonal — which fixes the edge length in terms of the atomic radius.
Open note
Packing Efficiency and Voids
27 PYQsPacking efficiency is the fraction of the unit cell that the atoms actually fill — 52.4% simple cubic, 68% bcc, 74% fcc and hcp — and the rest is void; in close packing every atom brings one octahedral and two tetrahedral voids.
Open note
Density and Crystal Structure Calculations
43 PYQsOne relation, ρ = nM/(a³N_A), links density, molar mass, particles per cell and the cell volume; MHT-CET hands you a lumped product such as a³N_A or ρ·a³ so that the answer is one multiplication or division.
Open note
Crystal Defects, Magnetic Properties and Semiconductors
15 PYQsReal crystals carry point defects — missing ions (Schottky), displaced ions (Frenkel), foreign atoms in place of or between the host atoms — and their electrical and magnetic behaviour follows from the band gap and from unpaired electrons.
Open note
PYQ weightage by concept
18 concepts · 132 PYQs — where the marks actually sit, so you know what to drill first
PYQ weightage by concept
18 concepts · 132 PYQs — where the marks actually sit, so you know what to drill first
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Crystalline Versus Amorphous Solids | 7 | 5% |
| Seven Crystal Systems, Fourteen Bravais Lattices | 6 | 5% |
| Ionic, Covalent Network, Molecular and Metallic Solids | 4 | 3% |
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Edge Length From Radius: Where the Atoms Touch | 16 | 12% |
| Particles Per Unit Cell and Coordination Number | 8 | 6% |
| Unit Cell Volume and the Volume of Its Atoms | 6 | 5% |
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Occupied Volume, Void Volume and the Volume Per Particle | 11 | 8% |
| Tetrahedral and Octahedral Voids: 2N and N | 8 | 6% |
| Formula of a Compound From the Voids the Cations Fill | 5 | 4% |
| Packing Efficiency: 52.4%, 68%, 74% | 3 | 2% |
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Counting Unit Cells and Atoms in a Mass or a Volume | 14 | 11% |
| Molar Mass From Density | 9 | 7% |
| The Density Formula and the Lumped Constants | 8 | 6% |
| Unit Cell Volume From Density and Molar Mass | 6 | 5% |
| Which Structure? Solve for n | 6 | 5% |
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Band Gap, n-Type and p-Type Doping | 7 | 5% |
| Point Defects: Schottky, Frenkel, Impurity and Non-Stoichiometric | 5 | 4% |
| Diamagnetic, Paramagnetic, Ferromagnetic | 3 | 2% |
Formula & revision sheet
14 formulas · 4 reference tables · 18 gotchas across all subtopics — the exam-eve cheat-sheet
Formula & revision sheet
14 formulas · 4 reference tables · 18 gotchas across all subtopics — the exam-eve cheat-sheet
Reference tables (2)
Crystalline Versus Amorphous Solids5 rows
| Property | Crystalline | Amorphous |
|---|---|---|
| Arrangement | Long-range order, regular and periodic | Short-range order only |
| Melting | Sharp, definite temperature | Softens over a range of temperature |
| Directional properties | Anisotropic — refractive index, conductivity vary with direction | Isotropic — the same in every direction 'Crystalline solids are isotropic' is the planted false statement. |
| Heat of fusion | Definite | Not definite |
| Examples | Diamond, NaCl, ice, graphite, ceramics, sodium | Glass, plastic, rubber, metallic glass Ice and ceramics are crystalline; only glass-like solids are amorphous. |
Ionic, Covalent Network, Molecular and Metallic Solids4 rows
| Class | Particles | Binding force | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ionic | Ions | Electrostatic | NaCl, KCl, CaF |
| Covalent network | Atoms | Covalent bonds in a network | Diamond, silica (), SiC, graphite Silica is covalent, not ionic — Si–O bonds run through the whole crystal. |
| Molecular | Molecules | Dispersion, dipole–dipole or hydrogen bonds | Ice, dry ice, solid Ar, I, naphthalene Ice is a MOLECULAR solid: hydrogen bonds between H₂O molecules. |
| Metallic | Cations + mobile electrons | Metallic bond | Cu, Fe, Na, Ag |
Watch out for (3)
- Reading 'NOT true' as 'true'→ Crystalline Versus Amorphous Solids
- Ice as an ionic or covalent solid→ Ionic, Covalent Network, Molecular and Metallic Solids
- Swapping 7 and 14→ Seven Crystal Systems, Fourteen Bravais Lattices
Formulas (3)
Watch out for (3)
- Counting the eight corners as eight particles→ Particles Per Unit Cell and Coordination Number
- Inverting the bcc relation→ Edge Length From Radius: Where the Atoms Touch
- Cubing the picometres→ Unit Cell Volume and the Volume of Its Atoms
Formulas (4)
Watch out for (4)
- Giving 74% for bcc→ Packing Efficiency: 52.4%, 68%, 74%
- Reporting the occupied volume when ONE particle is asked→ Occupied Volume, Void Volume and the Volume Per Particle
- Swapping the two counts→ Tetrahedral and Octahedral Voids: 2N and N
- Forgetting the factor 2 on tetrahedral voids→ Formula of a Compound From the Voids the Cations Fill
Formulas (5)
Watch out for (5)
- Using n = 4 for bcc→ The Density Formula and the Lumped Constants
- Dividing by N_A when the lump already contains it→ Molar Mass From Density
- Trusting a printed exponent over the order of magnitude→ Unit Cell Volume From Density and Molar Mass
- Stopping at n and not naming the cell→ Which Structure? Solve for n
- Counting cells when atoms are asked→ Counting Unit Cells and Atoms in a Mass or a Volume
Formulas (1)
Reference tables (2)
Point Defects: Schottky, Frenkel, Impurity and Non-Stoichiometric5 rows
| Defect | What happens | Effect on density | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schottky | Equal numbers of cations and anions missing | Decreases | NaCl, KCl, CsCl, AgBr |
| Frenkel | Ion leaves its site for an interstitial position | Unchanged | ZnS, AgCl, AgBr, AgI AgBr shows BOTH Schottky and Frenkel. |
| Substitutional impurity | Foreign atom replaces a host atom | Depends | Brass (Zn in Cu), Cd²⁺ in AgCl |
| Interstitial impurity | Small foreign atom in a void | Increases | Stainless steel (C in Fe) Brass is SUBSTITUTIONAL, steel is INTERSTITIAL — size decides. |
| Non-stoichiometric | Cation:anion ratio ≠ formula | Varies | ( ext{Fe}_{0.95} ext{O}) (deficiency), NaCl with F-centres (excess) |
Diamagnetic, Paramagnetic, Ferromagnetic5 rows
| Behaviour | Electrons | In a field | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diamagnetic | All paired | Weakly repelled | NaCl, H₂O, C₆H₆, N₂ |
| Paramagnetic | Unpaired, random | Weakly attracted, temporary | O₂, Cu²⁺, Fe³⁺, NO O₂ is paramagnetic, never ferromagnetic. |
| Ferromagnetic | Unpaired, aligned in domains | Strongly attracted, permanent | Fe, Co, Ni, Gd, CrO₂ CrO₂ is the one ferromagnetic COMPOUND the paper lists. |
| Antiferromagnetic | Aligned opposite, equal | Net zero | MnO |
| Ferrimagnetic | Aligned opposite, unequal | Weakly attracted | Fe₃O₄, ferrites |
Watch out for (3)
- Calling every missing-ion picture Frenkel→ Point Defects: Schottky, Frenkel, Impurity and Non-Stoichiometric
- Confusing 'n' with 'negative charge on the dopant'→ Band Gap, n-Type and p-Type Doping
- Picking O₂ because it is magnetic→ Diamagnetic, Paramagnetic, Ferromagnetic