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Octahedral molecular geometry is a type of molecular geometry. It is also called square bipyramidal. It has one central atom surrounded by six other atoms, or AX6 in AXE notation. The six atoms around the centre make the corners of an octahedron.
Neutral covalent compounds with octahedral geometry are rare for main group elements, only being found in noble gas compounds and chalcogen hexafluorides. The geometry is much more common in ionic compounds, coordination complexes, and crystals. The rock salt crystal structure contains only octahedral atoms, while octahedral interstitial sites are common in close-packed structures.
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