Crystallography

Crystallography (pronunciation: /ˌkrɪstəˈlɒɡrəfi/) is a branch of science that studies the arrangement of atoms in crystalline solids. The word is derived from the Greek words "krystallos," meaning clear ice, and "graphein," meaning to write.

Crystallography involves the geometric study of crystal lattices and the internal arrangement of atoms, ions, or molecules in crystalline substances. It is a fundamental discipline in the fields of mineralogy, chemistry, and materials science.

History

The study of crystals dates back to ancient times, but the scientific understanding of crystal structure began in the 17th century. The father of modern crystallography is often considered to be the French scientist René Just Haüy, who developed a mathematical theory of crystal forms in the late 18th century.

Techniques

Crystallography employs various techniques to study the arrangement of atoms in crystals, including X-ray crystallography, neutron diffraction, and electron diffraction. These techniques allow scientists to determine the positions of atoms, their chemical bonds, their disorder and various other information.

Applications

Crystallography has many practical applications in various fields. In material science, it is used to understand the properties of materials and how they are affected by their atomic arrangement. In biology, it is used to determine the structures of proteins and other complex molecules. In geology, it is used to identify minerals and understand their properties.

Related Terms

Crystal: A solid material whose atoms are arranged in a highly ordered, repeating pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions.
Lattice: The regular geometrical arrangement of points in crystal space.
Unit cell: The smallest repeating unit of a lattice.
Symmetry: The quality of being made up of exactly similar parts facing each other or around an axis.

External links

Medical encyclopedia article on Crystallography
Wikipedia's article - Crystallography

This WikiMD dictionary article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.

Languages: - East Asian 中文, 日本, 한국어, South Asian हिन्दी, Urdu, বাংলা, తెలుగు, தமிழ், ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian Indonesian, Vietnamese, Thai, မြန်မာဘာသာ, European español, Deutsch, français, русский, português do Brasil, Italian, polski

Crystallography