Unit Cells and Layer Sequences
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  • Click the chemical formula to display one unit cell. Expand shows a little more. To increase further change the number of unit cells in the display options.
  • For counting atoms within the unit cell, use display option "Ball&Stick" with "Unit cell faces" or "Sliced spacefill inside unit cell" where "Full interior" includes pieces that extend in from neighboring cells.
  • For layer sequences select "Layer slider" and drag slider or unselect and choose layers by z-coordinate.
Cubic
  
   ‡ ‡
   ‡ ‡
   † §
   † §
   § §
  
  
   † †
   ‡ ‡
   ‡ ‡
Body Centered Cubic
  
Face Centered Cubic
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Tetragonal
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Orthorhombic
  
  
  
Hexagonal
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Dioctahedral sheets (O links two Al)
  
  
  
Trioctahedral sheets (O links three Mg)
  
  
  
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‡Body center not identical to corner so unit cell is cubic.
†Face not identical to corner so unit cell is cubic.
§All faces not identical so unit cell is cubic.
*High temperature (high symmetry) phase.
◊H atoms and/or H2O molecules not shown.
Radii from R. D. Shannon, Acta Cryst., A32, 751 (1976) and B. Cordero et. al., Dalton Trans. 21, 2832 (2008).
Crystallographic coordinates modified from the Materials Project and Mindat.org.
This page created by George Lisensky, Beloit College. Last modified July 24, 2026.
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