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Ch.12 - Solids and Modern Materials
Chapter 12, Problem 122b

(b) X-ray diffraction studies of buckminsterfullerene show that it has a face-centered cubic lattice of C60 molecules. The length of an edge of the unit cell is 14.2 Å. Calculate the density of buckminsterfullerene.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Unit Cell and Lattice Structure

A unit cell is the smallest repeating unit in a crystal lattice that reflects the overall symmetry and structure of the entire crystal. In the case of buckminsterfullerene, it has a face-centered cubic (FCC) lattice, meaning that the unit cell is cubic with atoms located at each corner and the center of each face. Understanding the unit cell is crucial for calculating properties like density.
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Density Calculation

Density is defined as mass per unit volume and is typically expressed in grams per cubic centimeter (g/cm³). To calculate the density of a substance, one must know the mass of the unit cell and its volume. For buckminsterfullerene, the volume can be determined from the edge length of the unit cell, while the mass can be calculated based on the number of C60 molecules in the unit cell.
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Molar Mass and Avogadro's Number

The molar mass of a substance is the mass of one mole of its entities, typically expressed in grams per mole (g/mol). For buckminsterfullerene (C60), the molar mass is approximately 720 g/mol. Avogadro's number (6.022 x 10²³) relates the number of molecules in a mole to its mass, allowing for the conversion between the mass of the unit cell and the number of molecules it contains, which is essential for density calculations.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question

In their study of X-ray diffraction, William and Lawrence Bragg determined that the relationship among the wavelength of the radiation 1l2, the angle at which the radiation is diffracted 1u2, and the distance between planes of atoms in the crystal that cause the diffraction (d) is given by nl = 2d sin u. X rays from a copper X-ray tube that have a wavelength of 1.54 Å are diffracted at an angle of 14.22 degrees by crystalline silicon. Using the Bragg equation, calculate the distance between the planes of atoms responsible for diffraction in this crystal, assuming n = 1 (first-order diffraction).

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Textbook Question

Germanium has the same structure as silicon, but the unit cell size is different because Ge and Si atoms are not the same size. If you were to repeat the experiment described in the previous problem but replace the Si crystal with a Ge crystal, would you expect the X rays to be diffracted at a larger or smaller angle u?

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Textbook Question

(a) The density of diamond is 3.5 g/cm3, and that of graphite is 2.3 g/cm3. Based on the structure of buckminsterfullerene, what would you expect its density to be relative to these other forms of carbon?

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Open Question
When you shine light of band gap energy or higher on a semiconductor and promote electrons from the valence band to the conduction band, do you expect the conductivity of the semiconductor to (a) remain unchanged, (b) increase, or (c) decrease?
Textbook Question

The karat scale used to describe gold alloys is based on mass percentages. (a) If an alloy is formed that is 50 mol% silver and 50 mol% gold, what is the karat number of the alloy? Use Figure 12.18 to estimate the color of this alloy.

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Textbook Question

The karat scale used to describe gold alloys is based on mass percentages. (b) If an alloy is formed that is 50 mol% copper and 50 mol% gold, what is the karat number of the alloy? What is the color of this alloy?

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