Which of the following statement is correct for the body-centred cubic structure of an ionic compound?

Options

A. Co-ordination number of each cation and anion is two
B. Co-ordination number of each cation and anion in four
C. Co-ordination number of each cation and anion in six
D. Co-ordination number of each cation and anion in eight

Answer

To solve the question regarding the body-centered cubic (BCC) structure of an ionic compound and determine which statement is correct, we can follow these steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Understand the Body-Centered Cubic Structure**:
- In a BCC unit cell, there are atoms located at each of the eight corners of the cube and one atom at the center of the cube.

2. **Identify the Positions of Cations and Anions**:
- Let's assume the corner atoms are anions (denoted as A) and the body-centered atom is a cation (denoted as C).

3. **Determine Coordination Number of the Cation**:
- The coordination number of an ion is defined as the number of nearest neighboring ions surrounding it.
- For the cation (C) at the body center, its nearest neighbors are the eight corner anions (A). Therefore, the coordination number of the cation is 8.

4. **Determine Coordination Number of the Anion**:
- For the anion (A) located at the corners, its nearest neighbors include the body-centered cation (C) from the adjacent unit cells.
- Since there are 8 body-centered cations surrounding the corner anion, the coordination number of the anion is also 8.

5. **Conclusion**:
- Both the cation and anion in a body-centered cubic structure have a coordination number of 8. Therefore, the correct statement regarding the body-centered cubic structure of an ionic compound is that the coordination number of each cation and anion is 8.

### Final Answer:
The correct statement for the body-centered cubic structure of an ionic compound is: **The coordination number of each cation and anion is 8.**

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