Question:
Distinguish between
(i)Hexagonal and monoclinic unit cells
(ii) Face-centred and end-centred unit cells.
Solution:
(i) Hexagonal unit cell
For a hexagonal unit cell,
$a=b \neq c$
and $\alpha=\beta=90^{\circ}$
$\gamma=120^{\circ}$
Monoclinic unit cell
For a monoclinic cell,
$a \neq b \neq c$
and $\alpha=\gamma=90^{\circ}$
$\beta \neq 90^{\circ}$
(ii) Face-centred unit cell
In a face-centred unit cell, the constituent particles are present at the corners and one at the centre of each face.
End-centred unit cell
An end-centred unit cell contains particles at the corners and one at the centre of any two opposite faces.