Coordination numbers of different crystal structures

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Co-ordination numbers of different crystal structures
Coordination numbers of different crystal structures
Crystal structure deals with the atomic arrangement in solids. In the previous post, we have seen basic types of crystal structures in metals. In this post, we are going to learn about the definition of coordination numbers and coordination numbers of different types of crystal structures.

What is Coordination Number in crystal structure?

  • The number of atoms surrounding and touching a central atom under consideration is called a Coordination number in the crystal structure.
  • The coordination number decides the packing density of the material. The packing factor depends upon the coordination number. If the coordination number in the crystal structure is less then the packing factor of that material is also small.
  • The Coordination number of the crystal structure is also called a ligancy number or ligancy.
Co-ordination numbers of basic types of crystal structures are given below:

 

Coordination Number of Simple Cubic Crystal Structure is  6
Coordination Number of  Body Centered Crystal Structure (BCC) is 8
Coordination Number of Face Centered Crystal Structure (FCC) is 12
Coordination Number of Hexagonal close packed structure (HCP) is 12
 
Know more about the basic types of crystal structures.