Question

If the atomic radius of aluminum is 0.143 nm, calculate the volume of its unit cell in cubic meters.

Answer 1

The unit cell of Aluminum is a face-centered cubic structure. This lattice unit cell consists of 4 atoms per unit cell. The volume of the unit cell is a³ where a is the length of the side of the unit cell. In terms of radius r, volume is equal to:

V = (4r/√2)³
V = (4(0.143×10⁻⁹ m)/√2)³
V = 6.62×10⁻²⁹ m³