The ionic radii of , , and are , , and respectively. What is the coordination number of the cation i — Solid State Chemistry Question
Question
The ionic radii of $Na^+$, $K^+$, and $Br^-$ are $102\text{ pm}$, $138\text{ pm}$, and $195\text{ pm}$ respectively. What is the coordination number of the $K^+$ cation in the $KBr$ crystal structure?
Answer: 6
💡 Solution & Explanation
The radius ratio for $KBr$ is $\frac{r_{K^+}}{r_{Br^-}} = \frac{138}{195} \approx 0.707$. Because this ratio falls within the $0.414$ to $0.732$ limiting range, the $K^+$ ion fits into an octahedral void, resulting in a coordination number of 6.
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