Born-Haber Cycles, step by step
Building the cycle for a simple ionic compound.
- AtomisationBoth elements to gaseous atoms. Endothermic.
- Ionisation energyMetal atom to cation. Endothermic.
- Electron affinityNon-metal atom to anion. First is exothermic; second is endothermic.
- Lattice formationGaseous ions to solid lattice. Strongly exothermic.
- Compare with ΔHfThe direct route. Hess's law equates the two.
Theoretical vs experimental
- A large discrepancy indicates covalent character
- Purely ionic model assumes point charges
- Polarisation of the anion causes the difference
Lattice enthalpy magnitude increases with higher charges and smaller ionic radii — the two factors that matter.
Questions about the Born-Haber Cycles poster
- What’s on the Born-Haber Cycles poster?
- 5 numbered steps, with a full worked run-through. Building the cycle for a simple ionic compound. Atomisation — Both elements to gaseous atoms. Endothermic.; Ionisation energy — Metal atom to cation. Endothermic.; Electron affinity — Non-metal atom to anion. First is exothermic; second is endothermic.; Lattice formation — Gaseous ions to solid lattice. Strongly exothermic.; Compare with ΔHf — The direct route. Hess's law equates the two.. Lattice enthalpy magnitude increases with higher charges and smaller ionic radii — the two factors that matter.
- Who is the Born-Haber Cycles poster for?
- Born-Haber Cycles belongs to the Chemistry section rather than to a school year, because physical science is not something one grade owns. Anyone learning physical chemistry can pin it up — a beginner, a student mid-course, or someone revising years later.
- When should you use the Born-Haber Cycles poster?
- Lattice enthalpy cannot be measured directly. The cycle is how it is obtained. A wall chart earns its place by being glanceable from where the work is happening, so Born-Haber Cycles belongs on the wall where that physical science work actually happens, within glancing distance, rather than filed away.
- What other posters go with Born-Haber Cycles?
- Equilibrium, Electrode Potentials and Enthalpy sit alongside Born-Haber Cycles in the Chemistry section. Printed together they make a wall rather than a single sheet, which is how a reference set actually gets used.EquilibriumElectrode PotentialsEnthalpy
- Is the Born-Haber Cycles poster free to download and print?
- Yes. Born-Haber Cycles downloads as a free PDF with no account, no email and no watermark, like everything else in the Chemistry section. Print as many copies as you like for a home, a classroom, a library or a tutoring group; reselling the file is the only thing the licence rules out.Read the licence
- What size does the Born-Haber Cycles poster print at?
- Born-Haber Cycles is a vector PDF laid out for US Letter, and prints on A4 with Fit to page — the same file, no separate download. Because every mark on it is drawn rather than photographed, it stays sharp enlarged to A3, A2 or A1 at a copy shop. Colour carries emphasis only, so a greyscale print of Born-Haber Cycles loses nothing.Printing guide
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