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Write a Short Note on Metal Excess and Metal Deficiency Defects

Answer: 

  • Metal excess defect: This defect occurs when there are excessive cations at interstitial locations or when there are no anions present. There are two types of metal excess defects. The first is caused by anionic vacancies, which occur when a negative ion is missing from its lattice location, leaving a hole that is filled by an electron to maintain electrical neutrality. Another consequence is related to the existence of additional cation, which occurs when some extra cations are present at interstitial sites while electrons at another interstitial site preserve electrical neutrality.
  • Metal deficiency defects: This sort of defect occurs when the metal has a fluctuating valency, and there are two forms of metal deficiency defects. A positive ion will be missing from its lattice location due to cation vacancies in this defect, and the extra negative charge will balance by obtaining two positive charges instead of one. Another impact is that excess anions are present at the interstitial sites due to the existence of extra anions in this defect, while nearby ions at another interstitial site preserve electrical neutrality.

As a result, metal excess and metal deficiency defects can be explained.