Iron crystallizes in the body-centered cubic lattice. What is the coordination number for Fe?
A)4
B)6
C)8
D)10
E)12

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In the body-centered cubic lattice, each unit cell contains one central atom surrounded by eight corner atoms. Each corner atom is shared between eight adjacent unit cells, so only one-eighth of each corner atom belongs to the unit cell. Therefore, each central atom has eight corner atoms surrounding it that belong only to the unit cell. Thus, the coordination number of Fe in the body-centered cubic lattice is 8.

Iron Crystallizes in the Body-Centered Cubic Lattice