Electrical Neutrality in Crystals
For a crystal to be electrically neutral, the total positive charge must equal the total negative charge. In the CsCl unit cell, there are eight Cl- ions at the corners, each contributing a -1 charge, and one Cs+ ion in the center contributing a +1 charge. By calculating the total charges, one can demonstrate that the unit cell maintains electrical neutrality, as the total charge sums to zero.