Crystal structure

Crystal structure

Crystal structure is a unique arrangement of atoms or molecules in a crystalline material. A crystal structure is composed of a unit cell, a set of atoms arranged in a particular way; which is periodically repeated in three dimensions on a lattice.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈkrɪstəl ˈstrʌktʃər/

Etymology

The term "crystal structure" is derived from the Greek word "krystallos" meaning clear ice, and the Latin word "structura" meaning a fitting together, structure.

Related terms

• Unit cell: The smallest repeating unit in a crystal structure.
• Lattice: A regular, repeating arrangement of points in space, upon which the unit cell is defined.
• Atomic packing factor: A measure of the proportion of space filled by atoms in a crystal structure.
• Crystal system: A method of classifying crystalline substances on the basis of their unit cell.
• Space group: Describes the symmetry of a crystal structure.
• Crystallography: The science of studying crystal structures and their properties.

See also

• Crystal habit
• Crystal twinning
• Crystal field theory
• Crystallographic defect
• Crystal optics

External links

• Medical encyclopedia article on Crystal structure
• Wikipedia's article - Crystal structure

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