In
chemistry
Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...
, a topotactic transition involves a structural change to a crystalline solid, which may include loss or gain of material, so that the final lattice is related to that of the original material by one or more crystallographically equivalent, orientational relationships.
An example is a transition in which the relative structure of the anionic array is unaltered but the cations reorganize as in:
β- ⇒ γ-
An alternate example is the oxidation of
magnetite to
maghemite.
Sources
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Chemical reactions
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