Explore how X-ray data exposes the hidden arrangement of atoms in crystals and explains simple, repeating structures.
This book analyzes how X-ray patterns reveal lattice types and atomic positions. It discusses methods like Laue photographs and how careful interpretation leads to concrete models of materials such as calcite and pyrites. The text emphasizes both the power and limits of these techniques, showing how experimental data guides the structure conclusions.
- How reflections from crystal faces translate into plane spacings and unit-cell dimensions.
- Examples of specific crystals analyzed, including calcite and zinc sulfide, and what their spectra imply about atomic arrangement.
- The role of symmetry and higher-order reflections in validating structural models.
- Supplementary notes that connect theory to real-world mineral structures and spectra.
Ideal for readers interested in early 20th-century crystallography and the practical process of deducing crystal structure from X-ray data.