Which one of the following statements is incorrect?
A) Polonium is the only metal that has a primitive cubic lattice.
B) The lattice structure of the alkali metals is body-centered cubic.
C) Many metals can crystallize in more than one type of crystal lattice.
D) Metals with a body-centered cubic lattice contain a net of four metal atoms per unit cell.
E) A hexagonal close packed structure is not an example of a cubic unit cell.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In a body-centered cubic (BCC) lattice, there is one atom at each of the eight corners of the cube and one atom in the center. However, each corner atom is shared among eight adjacent unit cells, contributing only 1/8 of an atom to the unit cell, resulting in a total of 2 atoms per unit cell (8 corners * 1/8 + 1 center = 2), not four.

Which One of the Following Statements Is Incorrect