Space Lattice:
The crystalline solids have definite orderly arrangement of their constituent particles in three dimensions. The position of these particles in a crystal, related to one another, is usually shown by points. The arrangement of an infinite set of these points is called space lattice or crystals lattice. Therefore,
“A space lattice may be defined as a regular three dimensional arrangement of identical points in space”.
The positions which are occupied by the atoms, ions, or molecules in the crystals lattice are called lattice point or lattice sites. It must be noted that,
- Each lattice point has the same environment as that of any other point in the lattice.
- The constituent particle has always to be represented by a lattice point; irrespective of wheather it contains a single atom or more than one atom.