The purpose of this experiment was to study crystalline solids, both elements and compounds, to see if they have empty spaces in them. To carry out this experiment, twenty crystals (metal elements, non-metal elements, and metal-oxides) were used. Each crystal was weighed on a balance and the weight was tabulated. The volume was then obtained by dividing the weight of each solid by its density, which was obtained from the literature. The volume of one atom was obtained from the literature, and the theoretical number of atoms was calculated by dividing the volume of one atom by the volume of the solid. The percent of empty space in the solid was then calculated by taking the theoretical mass of each solid and subtracting the actual mass from it, and then dividing it by the theoretical mass. The total empty space, which was calculated by multiplying the percent empty space by the volume of the solid, was used to calculate the average volume of one hole, which was calculated by dividing the total empty space by the number of holes in the solid.
After the experiment was completed, it was found that crystals do in fact have empty spaces in them, and that the amount of empty space does not depend upon the crystal structure of the solid. It mostly depends upon whether the solid is a metal, a non-metal, or a compound. The results show that metals have the least empty space and non-metals and compounds have more empty space in them. This shows that metals are more compact than non-metals and compounds.

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