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The relation between atomic shape and crystal structure illustrated by metallic elements
Author(s) -
Ruhnow M.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
crystal research and technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.377
H-Index - 64
eISSN - 1521-4079
pISSN - 0232-1300
DOI - 10.1002/crat.201000422
Subject(s) - atom (system on chip) , crystal structure , stacking , metal , crystal (programming language) , crystallography , chemistry , charge density , chemical physics , physics , quantum mechanics , computer science , organic chemistry , embedded system , programming language
A new look at the relation between the shape of the atoms and the crystal structure of the elements is made. As a result it was possible to describe the variety of crystal structures (Cu‐, W‐, Mg‐type of structure) of pure metallic elements using a consistent principle. The guiding rule of the principle is the dense arrangement of atoms in the form of a hexagon with a central atom. Different atomic shapes and stacking arrangements lead to different unit cells. The shape of an atom is a more useful visualisation construct than the complicated charge density distribution. The consequences of the proposed model on various aspects of crystallography are discussed. (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)