If an ionic compound with the formula MX₂ forms a face-centered cubic unit cell with the cations (M²ⁿ⁺)at the lattice points,the anions (Xn^-)will occupy: A) all of the tetrahedral holes in each unit cell. B) half of the tetrahedral holes in each unit cell. C) all of the octahedral holes in each unit cell. D) the center of each face in each unit cell. E) the cubic hole in the center of each unit cell.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In a face-centered cubic unit cell, there are 4 tetrahedral holes and 2 octahedral holes. The anions in MX₂ will be smaller than the cations, so they will occupy the smaller tetrahedral holes. Since there are no other anions present, they will occupy all of the tetrahedral holes in each unit cell. Therefore, the best choice is A: all of the tetrahedral holes in each unit cell.

If an Ionic Compound with the Formula MX2 Forms a Face-Centered

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