What type of lattice—primitive cubic, body-centered cubic, or face-centered cubic—does each of the following structure types possess: (e) ZnS?

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the structure type of ZnS, which is known as the zinc blende or sphalerite structure.
2. Recall that the zinc blende structure is a type of face-centered cubic (FCC) lattice.
3. Understand that in the zinc blende structure, Zn atoms occupy half of the tetrahedral holes in a face-centered cubic lattice of S atoms.
4. Recognize that the face-centered cubic lattice is characterized by atoms at each of the corners and the centers of all the faces of the cube.
5. Conclude that ZnS, with its zinc blende structure, possesses a face-centered cubic lattice.

Key Concepts

Crystal Lattice Structures

Crystal lattice structures describe the ordered arrangement of atoms in a crystalline solid. The three primary types are primitive cubic, body-centered cubic (BCC), and face-centered cubic (FCC). Each type has a distinct arrangement of atoms that affects the material's properties, such as density and stability.

Zinc Blende Structure

Zinc sulfide (ZnS) commonly adopts the zinc blende structure, which is a face-centered cubic lattice. In this structure, zinc and sulfur atoms alternate in a tetrahedral coordination, leading to a specific arrangement that influences the compound's electronic and optical properties.

Coordination Number

The coordination number refers to the number of nearest neighbor atoms surrounding a central atom in a crystal lattice. In the case of ZnS, the coordination number is four, indicating that each zinc atom is surrounded by four sulfur atoms and vice versa, which is characteristic of the tetrahedral arrangement in the zinc blende structure.