How many anions surround a sodium ion in a crystal lattice of sodium chloride?

The correct answer is Six.Key Points

• Cations and anions are combined to form ionic molecules. \
• In sodium chloride, the cation is sodium (Na+) and the anion is chloride (Cl-).
• The anion (Cl-) and the cation (Na+) in the crystal structure alternate back and forth in a predictable pattern.
• The cubic lattice of sodium ions and a related cubic lattice of chlorine ions are entangled in the crystal structure of sodium chloride.
• Thirteen sodium ions and fourteen chloride ions make up each unit cell of sodium chloride.
• Eight unit cells share an ion at a corner, two unit cells share one at the face's center, and four unit cells share one at the edge.
• Each sodium ion is surrounded by six chloride ions, and each chloride ion is surrounded by six sodium ions.
• The sodium chloride unit cell contains four sodium ions and four chloride ions.

Additional Information

• The symmetrical three-dimensional structural groupings of atoms, ions, or molecules inside a crystalline solid as points are known as the crystal lattice.
• It can be characterized as the spatial geometrical arrangement of the atoms, ions, or molecules that make up the crystalline solid.
• A crystal lattice is created by substituting a representative point for each group of atoms.