In ionic solid, anions are arranged in hcp array and cations occupy 1 2 tetrahedral voids. What is the formula of ionic compound ? [Consider A = Cation ; B = anion]

Step-by-step solution

Let the number of anions (B) forming the hcp array be N . The total number of tetrahedral voids generated in the lattice is 2N . Since cations (A) occupy 1 2 of the tetrahedral voids, the number of cations (A) is 1 2 2N = N . The ratio of the number of cations (A) to the number of anions (B) is N : N = 1 : 1 . Therefore, the formula of the ionic compound is AB . Answer: AB