The Structure of

Crystalline Solids
Chapter 3
WHY STUDY The Structure of
Crystalline Solids?
The properties of some materials are directly related to
their crystal structures.
For example, pure and undeformed magnesium and beryllium,
having one crystal structure, are much more brittle than pure and
undeformed metals such as gold and silver that have yet another
crystal structure.
Significant property differences exist between crystalline
and noncrystalline materials having the same composition.
For example, noncrystalline ceramics and polymers normally are
optically transparent; the same materials in crystalline (or
semicrystalline) form tend to be opaque or, at best, translucent.
FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS
A crystalline material
atoms are situated in a repeating or periodic array over large
atomic distances; that is, long-range order exists, such that
upon solidification, the atoms will position themselves in a
repetitive three-dimensional pattern, in which each atom is
bonded to its nearest-neighbor atoms.
Amorphous materials
noncrystalline materials
Those that do not crystallize; long-range atomic order is
absent
FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS
Crystal structure
manner in which atoms, ions, or molecules are spatially
arranged.
There is an extremely large number of different crystal
structures all having long-range atomic order
These vary from relatively simple structures for metals to
exceedingly complex ones, as displayed by some of the
ceramic and polymeric materials.
FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS
atomic hard sphere model
atoms (or ions) are thought of as being solid
spheres having well-defined diameters
spheres representing nearest-neighbor atoms
touch one another.
Sometimes the term lattice is used in the
context of crystal structures; in this sense
lattice means a three-dimensional array
of points coinciding with atom positions
(or sphere centers).
UNIT CELLS
small groups of atoms forming a
repetitive pattern
parallelepipeds or prisms having
three sets of parallel faces
represent the symmetry of the crystal
structure, wherein all the atom
positions in the crystal may be
generated by translations of the unit
cell integral distances along each of
its edges
METALLIC CRYSTAL STRUCTURES

1. Simple Cubic
2. Face centered cubic
3. Body-centered cubic
4. Hexagonal close-packed
Simple Cubic Crystal Structure
onelatticepoint on each
corner of the cube
Polonium is the only element
having this crystal structure.
Simple Cubic Crystal Structure
For SC Crystal Model, solve for the following
1. Unit cell edge length
2. Total Number of atoms in a unit cell
3. By investigation, count the coordination number
4. Volume of the unit cell (Vc) in terms of R
5. Atomic Packing Factor
Face-Centered Cubic Crystal
Structure
The crystal structure found
for many metals has a unit
cell of cubic geometry, with
atoms located at each of the
corners and the centers of all
the cube faces.
copper, aluminum, silver,
and gold
Face-Centered Cubic Crystal
Structure
For FCC Crystal Model, solve for the following
1. Unit cell edge length
2. Total Number of atoms in a unit cell
3. By investigation, count the coordination number
4. Volume of the unit cell (Vc) in terms of R
5. Atomic Packing Factor
The Body-Centered Cubic
Crystal Structure
a cubic unit cell with atoms located at all eight corners
and a single atom at the cube center
Chromium, iron, tungsten, etc.
The Body-Centered Cubic
Crystal Structure
For BCC Crystal Model, solve for the following
1. Unit cell edge length
2. Total Number of atoms in a unit cell
3. By investigation, count the coordination number
4. Volume of the unit cell (Vc) in terms of R
5. Atomic Packing Factor
The Hexagonal Close-Packed
Crystal Structure
Why Close-packed?
Why Hexagonal?

- Coordination number = 12

- 6 atoms in unit cell

Beryllium, Magnesium, Cobalt, Zinc
The Hexagonal Close-Packed
Crystal Structure
MS3:
Solve for the Atomic Packing Factor of HCP
The Hexagonal Close-Packed
Crystal Structure
Sample Problems
1. Zinc has HCP structure. The height of the unit cell is
4.935 x 10-10 m. Find
a. How many atoms are there in a unit cell?
b. What is the volume of the unit cell?
Sample Problems
2. If the atomic radius of lead with FCC Crystal Structure
is 0.175 nm, calculate the volume of its unit cell in cubic
meters.
DENSITY COMPUTATIONS
A knowledge of the crystal structure of a metallic solid
permits computation of its theoretical density through
the relationship
Sample Problems
Copper has an atomic radius of 0.128 nm, an FCC
crystal structure, and an atomic weight of 63.5 g/mol.
Compute its theoretical density in g/cm3.
Sample Problems
Molybdenum has a BCC crystal structure, an atomic
radius of 0.1363 nm, and an atomic weight of 95.94
g/mol. Compute its theoretical density in g/cm3
Sample Problems
Titanium (Ti) has an HCP crystal structure, a density of
4.51 g/cm3 and atomic weight of 47.9 g/mol
(a) What is the volume of its unit cell in cubic meters?
(b) If the c/a ratio is 1.58, compute the values of c and a.