# How to calculate the height of an hcp lattice?

A hexagonal closed packing (hcp) unit cell has an ABAB type of packing. For calculating the packing fraction we require the volume of the unit cell.

Volume of hcp lattice = (Base area) $\cdot$ (Height of unit cell)
Each hexagon has a side = $2\cdot r$
Base area = $6$ (Area of small equilateral triangles making up the hexagon)
$$=6 \cdot \frac{\sqrt{3}}{4}\times(2r)^2$$ $$=6 \cdot \sqrt{3} \cdot r^2$$

Hence, volume $= 6 \cdot \sqrt{3} \cdot r^2$ (Height of unit cell)

This is the point where I am stuck. How do I find out the height of the unit cell?

I searched in textbooks and found out that height $= 4r \cdot \sqrt{\frac{2}{3}}$. Can you please explain why is this so?

We shall try it using the similarities between hcp and ccp. Here, we know that $hcp$ and $ccp$ have similar lattice except the fact that $hcp$ is ABAB type whereas $ccp$ is ABCABC type. Hence we also know that their packing fraction $(\phi)$ is same and $$\phi = \frac{\pi} {3\sqrt{2}}$$ Now as you mentioned Volume of hcp lattice $= 6\sqrt{3} r^2h$. There are 6 atoms in total in hcp. Hence $$\frac{6\left(\frac{4}{3}\right) \pi r^3}{6\sqrt{3} r^2 h} = \frac{\pi} {3\sqrt{2}}$$ Simplifying this we obtain the height of hcp lattice $$h=4r\left(\sqrt{\frac{2}{3}}\right)$$

To calculate the height of a unit cell, consider a tetrahedral void in an hexagonal closed packing arrangement. It can be imagined as a 3 solid spheres touching each other and at the center-point, you have another sphere stacked over them. An interactive version can be viewed on this site. The situation looks like this:

If you join the centers of these four spheres, you'll get a tetrahedron. That's basically a pyramid with a triangular base. I'm assuming each edge of our tetrahedron to be equal to $a$.

Now, you have a pyramid ($ABCD$), with an equilateral base ($\Delta BCD$), I would like you to drop a perpendicular from the highest point ($A$) to the center ($G$) triangular base. If you're following me correctly, you'll have a figure like this:

All we have to do now is to calculate the length $AG$. For this, simply use the Pythagorean theorem in $\Delta AGD$.

\begin{align*} AD^2 &= AG^2 + GD^2 \tag{1} \end{align*}

Although we know that $AD=a$, the side $GD$ remains unknown. But that's easy to calculate. The point $G$ is the centroid of $\Delta BCD$. Thus, the length $GD$ equals $a/\sqrt{3}$. Pluggging in the values in our first equation, we get $AG=a \sqrt{\frac{2}{3}}$. But note, this is half the height of our unit cell. Thus, the required height is $2a \sqrt{\frac{2}{3}}$.