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Read a public CIF: a first look at PbS

Use the public COD galena PbS record to find a structure, verify its metadata and inspect the unit cell. This is a structure-reading example and contains no user experimental data.

Unit-cell preview of galena PbS, COD 9000001. Two colours distinguish elements; sphere sizes are illustrative.
Static capture of the site structure viewer. COD 9000001, revision 291269; sphere sizes and inferred connections are visual aids.

  1. Open the record

    Open the example below and check COD 9000001 and formula Pb S. You can also search Pb and S from the structure-search page, then identify this record by its COD number.

  2. Check the unit cell first

    The record is cubic, space group F m -3 m (No. 225), with a=b=c=5.93 Å and all cell angles 90°. Its CIF reports V=208.528 ų. Cell dimensions define periodicity, not atomic radii.

  3. Open the structure preview

    Open the 3D preview, drag to rotate and scroll to zoom. Inspect how elements occupy the cell. Sphere sizes and distance-based connections are display choices; use coordinates and geometric analysis when discussing bond lengths.

  4. Save the CIF with attribution

    Download the verified original CIF here (revision 291269), or use the structure-page download. The source may later be revised; retain the COD ID and credit the original Ramsdell 1925 structure paper.

Check your result

Formula
PbS
Space group
F m -3 m · 225
Cell edges
a=b=c=5.93 Å

How to interpret it

  • A structure preview is not a refinement of experimental XRD and does not identify a sample phase on its own.
  • A database entry reflects a particular publication and revision, not every temperature, pressure or real sample.

Sources and example files

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