Question

The coordination number of an atom in a body-centered cubic structure is _________. [Assume that the lattice is made up of atoms.]

Hint:

Common Coordination Numbers: Simple Cubic = 6, BCC = 8, FCC/HCP = 12.

Answer 1

Correct Answer: 8

The coordination number in a crystal structure describes how many nearest neighbors a particular atom has. In a body-centered cubic (BCC) structure:

• Each atom is at the center of a cube, and at each corner of the cube, there is one atom.
• The atom at the center of the BCC unit cell is in direct contact with the eight corner atoms of the cube.

Thus, its coordination number is 8.

This result is aligned with the expected range of values (8,8), confirming the accuracy of the calculated coordination number.