Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Britannica Sources used in this answer

What crystal structure does solid zinc have?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
A labeled diagram of the periodic table entry for zinc, showing its atomic number 30, symbol Zn, atomic weight 65.38, electron configuration, name, hexagonal crystal structure, solid state at room temperature, and classification as a transition metal.
zinc

Solid zinc crystallizes with a hexagonal-closest-packed (hcp) structure. In this arrangement, the atoms are packed into a repeating layer sequence of ABABAB..., which allows the spheres to fill 74 percent of the volume, representing the closest possible packing of atoms.1