Coordination and Pauling's Rules

The arrangement of atoms in a crystal structure not only depends on the charge on the ion and type of bonding between atoms, but also on the size of the atoms or ions.  In any given molecule or crystal structure each atom or ion will be surrounded by other atoms or ions.  The number of  ions or atoms that immediately surround an atom or ion of interest is called the coordination number,  - C.N.  As we shall see, the coordination number depends on the relative size of the atoms or ions.  So, we must first discuss their sizes.

Atomic and Ionic Radii

The size of an atom or ion depends on the size of the nucleus and the number of electrons. Generally atoms with higher numbers of electrons have larger radii than those with smaller numbers of electrons.  Thus ions will have radii different from the atoms because ions will have either gained or lost electrons.  The number of positive charges in the nucleus determines both the number of electrons that surround an atom and the number of electrons that can be lost or gained to form ions. 


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