Calculate the number of chloride and ammonium ions per unit cell if NH₄Cl is a simple cubic unit cell of NH₄⁺ ions with a Cl^- ion in the center of the unit cell.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In a simple cubic unit cell, there is 1 ion at each corner and 1 ion in the center. Each corner ion is shared among 8 unit cells, so each contributes 1/8 to the unit cell. Since there are 8 corners, this adds up to 1 full ion. The ion in the center belongs entirely to the unit cell. Therefore, there is 1 ammonium ion and 1 chloride ion per unit cell.

Calculate the Number of Chloride and Ammonium Ions Per Unit