The energy required to separate the ions in a crystal lattice into individual gaseous ions is known as lattice energy. Lattice energy depends on the strength of interactions between cations and anions in the lattice, which we can estimate using Coulomb's law: _Fₑ_ = ( _q_ ₁ _q_ ₂)/ _r_ ². According to this equation, stronger interactions occur between ions with larger charges and smaller radii.
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