Question

A Mercury is a poisonous metal that is used in thermometers. When mercury is at temperatures below its freezing point it has a simple cubic unit cell.

1.How many atoms of Hg are present in each unit cell? Express your answer as an integer.

Answer 1

1

Step-by-step explanation:

A simple cubic unit cell means that there is 1 atom of Hg in each of the eight corners of a cube. Each of these atoms "contributes" one-eight (1/8) of its mass to form one single unit. With 8 atoms each contributing 1/8, the unit cell has a total of one atom of Hg.