Question 66 of 70
Q.Distinguish tetrahedral and octahedral voids.
Puducherry TnboardTamil Nadu HSC (DGE) Board 2025Subjective· 3mImportance★★★★★
94% · 66/70 Questions
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Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →Tetrahedral and octahedral voids are the two types of empty interstitial space left in a close-packed arrangement of spheres; they differ in the number of spheres surrounding them (4 vs 6), their relative size, and how many of each occur per sphere in the packing.
| Feature | Tetrahedral void | Octahedral void |
|---|---|---|
| Formed by | 4 spheres touching each other, arranged at the corners of a tetrahedron around the void | 6 spheres touching each other, arranged octahedrally around the void |
| Coordination number | 4 | 6 |
| Relative size | Smaller (radius ratio for a sphere that just fits ) | Larger (radius ratio ) |
| Number per sphere in a close-packed lattice | tetrahedral voids for close-packed spheres | octahedral voids for close-packed spheres |
| Example location occupied | e.g. in ZnS (zinc blende) | e.g. in NaCl |
| … |
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