Question

What is the effect of the presence of Schottky defects on the density of a crystal?

Answer 1

1. The presence of Schottky defects in a crystal decreases its density. This is because Schottky defects involve the missing of equal numbers of cations and anions from their regular lattice sites.
2. As a result, there is a loss of mass without a change in the volume of the crystal. Since density is defined as mass per unit volume, the reduction in mass leads to a lower density of the crystal.