The coordination number of a metal crystallizing in a HCP structure is — Solid State Chemistry Question

💡 Solution & Explanation

In a Hexagonal Close-Packed (HCP) structure, every atom is surrounded by 6 nearest neighbours in its own layer, 3 in the layer immediately above, and 3 in the layer immediately below, resulting in a total coordination number of $6 + 3 + 3 = 12$. Therefore, correct answer is A.