Question Details

Right option for the number of tetrahedral and octahedral voids in hexagonal primitive unit cell are :

Options

A

8, 4

B

6, 12

C

2, 1

D

12, 6

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:
12 × 16 = 2 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:
2 × 12 = 1 atom.
- There are 3 completely unshared atoms located inside the body of the unit cell, contributing:
3 atoms.
Adding these contributions together, the total number of atoms in one hexagonal unit cell (Z) is:
Z = 2 + 1 + 3 = 6 atoms.

Step 2: Calculate the number of octahedral voids
For a close-packed lattice containing N atoms, the number of octahedral voids generated is equal to the number of atoms, N.
Since N = Z = 6 for a hexagonal unit cell:
Number of octahedral voids = 6.

Step 3: Calculate the number of tetrahedral voids
For a close-packed lattice containing N atoms, the number of tetrahedral voids generated is twice the number of atoms, 2N.
Using N = 6:
Number of tetrahedral voids = 2 × 6 = 12.

Thus, the number of tetrahedral and octahedral voids in a hexagonal primitive unit cell are 12 and 6 respectively.

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