Table of Contents
orthorhombic system
, the
crystal structure of which is characterized by the presence of a single
perovskite-type structural unit :
Orthorhombic System
There are three mutually perpendicular axes of unequal length. All angles between these axes are equal to 90°.
Orthorhombic Crystal
Orthorhombic crystals are characterized by three unequal axes, all at right angles to each other. The lengths of the axes can be different, but they are always in the ratio of 1:2:3. Orthorhombic crystals can be found in a variety of minerals, such as topaz, garnet, and tourmaline.
What is Orthorhombic Unit Cell ?
An orthorhombic unit cell is a three-dimensional unit cell with rectangular faces.
Examples of Orthorhombic Structure
Some examples of orthorhombic structures include:
* Alloys of iron and cobalt
* Alloys of chromium and iron
* Alloys of iron and manganese
* Alloys of iron and silicon
* Alloys of iron and tin
* Alloys of iron and tungsten
* Alloys of iron and vanadium
* Alloys of manganese and silicon
* Alloys of molybdenum and tungsten
* Alloys of nickel and iron
* Alloys of nickel and cobalt
* Alloys of nickel and chromium
* Alloys of nickel and manganese
* Alloys of nickel and silicon
* Alloys of nickel and tin
* Alloys of nickel and tungsten
* Alloys of nickel and vanadium
* Alloys of titanium and iron
* Alloys of titanium and manganese
* Alloys of titanium and silicon
* Alloys of titanium and tin
* Alloys of titanium and vanadium
* Alloys of tungsten and cobalt
* Alloys of tungsten and manganese
* Alloys of tungsten and silicon
* Alloys of tungsten and tin
* Alloys of tungsten and vanadium
* Alloys of zirconium and iron
* Alloys of zirconium and manganese
* Alloys of zircon
Variants of the Orthorhombic Crystal System
The eight crystal classes of the orthorhombic system can be further divided into two sets of four, based on the centering of the crystal structure. The first set of four crystal classes is centered on a point (or, in the case of the monoclinic class, on a line), and the second set of four is centered on a face.
The following table shows the possible combinations of crystal axes, unique axes, and centering.
Crystal classSpace groupCrystal axesUnique axisCentering
Centered on a point
TriclinicP1a, P1b, P1c, P1i
Any combination of three axes
None
MonoclinicP2, P2i, P2i
Any combination of two axes
One axis
OrthorhombicP222, P2221, P21212, P212121
Any combination of three axes
None
TetragonalP4, P41, P422, P4212, P4122, P41212, P43212, P4322, P432
Any combination of two axes
None
Centered on a face
MonoclinicP2, P2i, P2i
Any combination of two axes
One axis
OrthorhombicP222, P2221,