Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Back to the OSAC Lexicon

Unit Cell

the smallest group of atoms of a crystal lattice that has the overall symmetry of a crystal of that substance, and from which the entire lattice can be built up by repetition in three dimensions.

Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ASTM E3294-23 Standard Guide for Forensic Analysis of Geological Materials by Powder X-Ray Diffraction. ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428, 2023. Source link
Reprinted, with permission, from ASTM, copyright ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428. A copy of the complete standard may be purchased from ASTM International, https://www.astm.org