4.

CLASSIFICATION OF UNIT CELL / UNIT LATTICE (AS PER BRAVAIS)

UNIT CELL

Primitive unit cell Centred unit cell

Same type of particles are Same type of particles are
present at corners only present besides corners

Face centred Body centred End centred

(FC) (BC) (EC)
 4. CLASSIFICATION OF UNIT CELL (AS PER BRAVAIS)

(a) Primitive Unit Cells (P)

When constituent particles are present only on the corner positions of a unit cell, it is
called as primitive unit cell.
 4. CLASSIFICATION OF UNIT CELL (AS PER BRAVAIS)

(b) Centred Unit Cells :

When a unit cell contains one or more constituent particles present at positions other
than corners in addition to those at corners, it is called a centered unit cell.
Centred unit cells are of three types:
(i) Body-Centred Unit Cells (I) : (ii) Face-Centred Unit Cells (F) : (iii) End-Centred Unit Cells (E) :
Such a unit cell contains one Such a unit cell contains one In such a unit cell, one
constituent particle (atom, constituent particle present at constituent particle is present
molecule or ion) at its body- the centre of each face, besides at the centre of any two
centre besides the ones that are the ones that are at its corners. opposite faces besides the ones
at its corners. present at its corners.
 7. COORDINATION NUMBER

The number of nearest neighbouring particles around a specific particle in a given

crystalline substance is called as coordination number of the crystalline substance.
8. PACKING EFFICIENCY OR PACKING FRACTION (P.E.)
 8. PACKING EFFICIENCY OR PACKING FRACTION (P.E.)

"Packing efficiency is defined as the ratio of volume occupied by the atoms to the total
volume of the crystalline substance"

Volume occupied by atoms present in a crystal

P.E. 
Volume of crystal

or

Volume occupied by atoms present in unit cell

P.E. 
Volume of unit cell
z  (4 / 3) r 3
P.E. 
V
Where z = number of atoms present in unit cell / Number of formula units for ionic crystals.
 9. DESCRIPTION OF CUBE

1
3 3
4

6 5 7
1 1
8 2
5
6

9
12
4
10

11
 9. DESCRIPTION OF CUBE

1. Number of corners = 8 y
Face centre (6)
2. Number of faces = 6
Corner (8)
3. Number of edges = 12 edge (12)
c
4. Number of body centre = 1 Body Centre Face (6)
diagonal (4) (1)
5. Number of body diagonals = 4 Face diagonal (12)
b x
6. Number of face diagonals = 12
a
z
 9. DESCRIPTION OF CUBE

7. Number of alternate edges = 4

8. Number of alternate faces = 2
9. Number of alternate corner = 4
 10. Contribution of an atom at different lattice points of cube

A cube centre is not common in any A face of a cube is common in

another cube, so one complete atom is 2 cubes. So that 1/2 part of an atom is
present at the cube centre. present at the face of a cube.
 10. Contribution of an atom at different lattice points of cube

An edge of a cube is common in four A corner of a cube is common in 8

cubes, so that 1/4 part of the atom is cubes. So that 1/8 part of an atom is
present at the edge of a cube present at this corner of cube.
 12. Length of Face Diagonal and Cube Diagonal

A D

Consider the triangle AFD (with the help of pyathogorous theorem)

FD  AF 2  AD 2  a 2  a 2  2a (length of face diagonal)

Consider the triangle BFD (with the help of pyathogorous theorem)

BD  BF 2  FD 2  a 2  ( 2a) 2  3a (length of cube diagonal)

 12. Length between two adjacent face centre atoms / edge centre atoms

a a 2
Distance between 2 adjacent face centres = 
2 2
a a 2
Distance between 2 adjacent edge centres = 
2 2