Answer to Question #178481 in Inorganic Chemistry for swarnajeet kumar

Question

Explain the terms lattice and basis used in crystal system. 

Answer 1

lattice is a hypothetical regular and periodic arrangement of points in space. It is used to describe the structure of a crystal.

basis is a collection of atoms in particular fixed arrangement in space. We could have a basis of a single atom as well as a basis of a complicated but fixed arrangement of hundreds of atoms.