Ionic solids are composed of positively charged cations and negatively charged anions arranged in a 3D array. The electrostatic attractions between opposite charges hold the ions in fixed positions, making ionic solids hard and brittle. The melting point of ionic solids is generally over 150 degrees C because strong electrostatic forces must be overcome for melting to occur. The radius ratio rule can be used to predict the coordination number of ions based on the ratio of cation to anion radii, with different ratios corresponding to different coordination geometries like tetrahedral or octahedral. While useful, the radius ratio rule has limitations as it treats ions as hard spheres and does not account for variations in effective ionic radii.