Account for the fact that hydrogen occupies tetrahedral holes while carbon occupies octahedral holes — Solid State Chemistry Question
Question
Account for the fact that hydrogen occupies tetrahedral holes while carbon occupies octahedral holes.
Answer: B
💡 Solution & Explanation
Tetrahedral voids are smaller than octahedral voids. Since hydrogen atoms are smaller than carbon atoms ($r_H < r_C$), hydrogen can fit into the smaller tetrahedral holes while carbon requires the larger octahedral holes. Therefore, correct answer is B.
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