Preferred Label : unit cell;
IUPAC definition : The smallest, regularly repeating material portion contained in a parallelepiped from
which a crystal is formed by parallel displacements in three dimensions.;
Scope note : this definition applies to the so-called primitive unit cell. in practice, the effective
unit cell may consist of more than one primitive unit cell.; in the case of parallel-chain crystals, the chain axis is usually denoted by c or,
sometimes, b.; unlike in the case of low molar mass substances, the unit cell of polymer crystals
usually comprises only parts of the polymer molecules and the regularity of the periodic
repetition may be imperfect.;
Origin ID : U06562;
See also
The smallest, regularly repeating material portion contained in a parallelepiped from
which a crystal is formed by parallel displacements in three dimensions.
