Chapter 11: Problem 75
Lithium hydride (LiH) has the sodium chloride structure, and the length of the edge of the unit cell is \(4.086 \times 10^{-8} \mathrm{~cm} .\) Calculate the density of this solid.
Short Answer
Expert verified
0.774 g/cm^3
Step by step solution
01
Identify the Type of Unit Cell
Lithium hydride (LiH) has the sodium chloride structure. The sodium chloride structure is characterized by a face-centered cubic (FCC) unit cell.
02
Determine the Number of Atoms per Unit Cell
In a face-centered cubic (FCC) structure, there are 4 atoms per unit cell. This is because there are 8 atoms at the corners (contributing 1/8 atom each) and 6 atoms on the faces (contributing 1/2 atom each), totaling 4 full atoms.
03
Calculate the Molar Mass
The molar mass of lithium hydride is calculated as the sum of the atomic masses of lithium (Li) and hydrogen (H).
- Atomic mass of Li = 6.94 g/mol.
- Atomic mass of H = 1.01 g/mol.
- Therefore, molar mass of LiH = 6.94 + 1.01 = 7.95 g/mol.
04
Find the Volume of the Unit Cell
The edge length of the unit cell is given as \(4.086 \times 10^{-8} \text{ cm}\). The volume of a cubic unit cell \(V\) is calculated as the cube of the edge length:\[ V = (4.086 \times 10^{-8} \, \text{cm})^3 = 6.819 \times 10^{-23} \, \text{cm}^3 \]
05
Calculate the Density
Density \( \rho \) is given by the formula\[ \rho = \frac{\text{mass of atoms in unit cell}}{\text{volume of unit cell}} \]1. The mass of one mole (Avogadro's number \(6.022 \times 10^{23}\)) of LiH is 7.95 g.2. Therefore, the mass of one unit cell (4 atoms) is \[\frac{7.95}{6.022 \times 10^{23}} \times 4 = 5.278 \times 10^{-23} \text{ g}\]3. The density: \[\rho = \frac{5.278 \times 10^{-23} \text{ g}}{6.819 \times 10^{-23} \text{ cm}^3} = 0.774 \text{ g/cm}^3\]
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
Face-Centered Cubic Structure
A face-centered cubic (FCC) structure is a common arrangement of atoms within a crystalline solid, like lithium hydride. In this type of crystal structure, the unit cell, which is the smallest repeating unit within the crystal lattice, is a cube. This cube has atoms positioned at each of its corners and at the center of each of its faces.
- This arrangement results in each cell containing a total of 4 atoms.
- The corner atoms are shared among eight neighboring unit cells, so each corner atom contributes 1/8 of an atom per unit cell.
- There are also six face-centered atoms, each contributing 1/2 atom to the unit cell, shared between two adjacent cells.
Molar Mass
Molar mass is an important property when calculating the density of a compound. It is defined as the mass of one mole of a substance (in grams per mole). To find the molar mass of lithium hydride (LiH), you need to add the atomic masses of its constituent elements:
- The atomic mass of lithium (Li) is 6.94 g/mol.
- The atomic mass of hydrogen (H) is 1.01 g/mol.
Unit Cell Volume
The unit cell volume is essential for calculating density as it gives you the space one unit cell occupies. For lithium hydride, the unit cell is a cube because it follows the cubic crystal system.To find the volume of the unit cell, cube the edge length, which for LiH is given as:\[4.086 \times 10^{-8} \text{ cm}\]Hence, the volume is computed by:\[V = (4.086 \times 10^{-8} \, \text{cm})^3 = 6.819 \times 10^{-23} \, \text{cm}^3\]This tiny volume is typical and reflects the scale of atomic dimensions in crystal structures, which is pivotal when determining density.
Density Formula
The density of a material measures its mass per unit volume. For solids like lithium hydride, we need to find the mass of the atoms within a single unit cell and divide it by the volume of that cell.The density \( \rho \) is calculated using the formula:\[
ho = \frac{\text{mass of atoms in unit cell}}{\text{volume of unit cell}}\]Steps to calculate this for LiH:
- Calculate the mass of the unit cell by dividing the molar mass by Avogadro’s number \(6.022 \times 10^{23}\), and then multiply by 4 (since there are 4 formula units of LiH in one FCC unit cell).
- Once you have the mass, in this case, \(5.278 \times 10^{-23} \text{ g}\), divide by the unit cell volume, \(6.819 \times 10^{-23} \, \text{cm}^3\), to determine density.