Chemistry / Unit 8 Chem 1476 short lesson, about 20 seconds
The Unit Cell
Captions available
The idea
A unit cell is the smallest repeating structural unit whose repetition in three dimensions generates an entire crystal lattice.
In practice
Stacking one cubic unit cell of a metal repeatedly in every direction reconstructs the metal's whole crystal structure.
Where people slip
A unit cell's corner and edge particles are shared with neighbors — the count belonging to one cell is a fraction of what's drawn.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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