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Ch.12 - Solids and Modern Material
Chapter 12, Problem 85

Potassium chloride crystallizes in the rock salt structure. Estimate the density of potassium chloride using the ionic radii provided in Chapter 8.

Verified step by step guidance
1
Identify the type of crystal structure: Potassium chloride (KCl) crystallizes in the rock salt structure, which is a face-centered cubic (FCC) lattice.
Determine the formula unit mass of KCl: Use the atomic masses of potassium (K) and chlorine (Cl) from the periodic table to calculate the molar mass of KCl.
Calculate the volume of the unit cell: Use the ionic radii provided to estimate the edge length of the cubic unit cell. In the rock salt structure, the edge length (a) can be approximated as twice the sum of the radii of the cation and anion.
Determine the number of formula units per unit cell: In the rock salt structure, there are 4 formula units of KCl per unit cell.
Estimate the density: Use the formula for density, \( \text{density} = \frac{\text{mass of formula units in unit cell}}{\text{volume of unit cell}} \), to calculate the density of KCl.