Remember that the lattice arrangement is giant - for example, a single grain of salt may contain 1.2 × 10 18 (1,200,000,000,000,000,000) ions. The lattice arrangement continues in three dimensions.

It is not. A 3D construction model shows how the ions are arranged in a lattice structure. These models usually use coloured balls to represent the ions. Some use sticks to show the ionic bonds.

Because of its ionic bonding the material is an electronic insulator at room temperature and is transparent in the visible spectral region. At elevated temperatures the lattice becomes an ionic ...