The Crystal Structure of Hexagonal Silver Iodide

Abstract

On the basis of oscillation data a structure has been assigned to hexagonal silver iodide at room temperature in which the silver atoms are distributed at random among four positions tetrahedrally surrounding the ideal position in the wurtzite structure. Previous work is discussed and evidence supporting the preference of this structure is presented. At liquid-air temperatures the structure is found to approximate closely that of wurtzite with the ideal parameter value of 1/8. Physical characteristics of silver iodide are discussed in relation to the proposed structure.