Consider the rock salt structure in Figure 12.15. What type of structure would result if all the anions were somehow removed, leaving only cations?

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the rock salt structure, which is a type of crystal lattice where cations and anions are arranged in a specific pattern.
2. Understand that in the rock salt structure, cations (usually metal ions) and anions (usually non-metal ions) are arranged in a face-centered cubic (FCC) lattice.
3. Consider the scenario where all anions are removed from the structure, leaving only the cations.
4. Recognize that the remaining cations would form a simple cubic lattice, as they originally occupied the octahedral holes in the FCC lattice of the anions.
5. Conclude that the resulting structure, with only cations, would be a simple cubic lattice, which is less stable and less common than the original rock salt structure.