Right option for the number of tetrahedral and octahedral voids in hexagonal primitive unit cell are :
Correct Answer :
12, 6
Solution :
The correct option is 12, 6.
To determine the number of tetrahedral and octahedral voids in a hexagonal primitive (or hexagonal close-packed, HCP) unit cell, we can follow these step-by-step logical relations:
Step 1: Find the number of atoms per hexagonal unit cell (Z)
In a hexagonal primitive unit cell (HCP structure):
- There are 12 corner atoms. Each corner atom is shared among 6 adjacent unit cells, contributing:
atoms.
- There are 2 face-center atoms (one on the top face and one on the bottom face). Each is shared between 2 adjacent unit cells, contributing:
atom.
- There are 3 completely unshared atoms located inside the body of the unit cell, contributing:
atoms.
Adding these contributions together, the total number of atoms in one hexagonal unit cell () is:
atoms.
Step 2: Calculate the number of octahedral voids
For a close-packed lattice containing atoms, the number of octahedral voids generated is equal to the number of atoms, .
Since for a hexagonal unit cell:
Number of octahedral voids = .
Step 3: Calculate the number of tetrahedral voids
For a close-packed lattice containing atoms, the number of tetrahedral voids generated is twice the number of atoms, .
Using :
Number of tetrahedral voids = .
Thus, the number of tetrahedral and octahedral voids in a hexagonal primitive unit cell are 12 and 6 respectively.
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