Crystallography: A Very Short Introduction

Very Short Introductions #469

by A.M. Glazer

Crystals have fascinated us for centuries with their beauty and symmetry, and have often been invested with magical powers. The use of X-ray diffraction, first pioneered in 1912 by father and son William and Lawrence Bragg, enabled us to probe the structure of molecules, and heralded the scientific study of crystals, leading to an understanding of their atomic arrangements at a fundamental level. The new discipline, called X-ray crystallography, has subsequently evolved into a formidable science that underpins many other scientific areas. Starting from the determination of the structures of very simple crystals, such as that of common salt, today it has become almost routine to determine the positions of tens of thousands of atoms in a crystal.

In this Very Short Introduction Mike Glazer shows how the discoveries in crystallography have been applied to the creation of new and important materials, to drugs and pharmaceuticals and to our understanding of genetics, cell biology, proteins, and viruses. Tracing the history of crystallography, he analyses astonishing developments in new sources of X-rays, as well as of neutrons, and in electron microscopy, and considers the impact they have on the study of crystals today.

ABOUT THE The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Genres: Science, Chemistry, Nonfiction

140 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2016

Reviews

[Eugeniu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read it in one afternoon. It reads quite easily, although I did spend some time going back and forth between pages (it was important for me to understand deeper). I enjoyed the historical context of many of the discoveries explained. The illustrations and the examples are what make the book particularly good - it is mostly thanks to them that I understood the ideas.

[N · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting to crystallographers and not to those checking to see if crystallography is interesting. Still, where else could I read a sentence that starts 'in his popular crystallography blog'

Notes
Useful properties of crystals like electric/magnetic are when certain crystal structures like Perovskite’s ABX3 can undergo subtle modifications giving rise to different physical properties. Hence, PZTs (piezoelectric) that can supplant current silicon cell as photovoltaics

Quartz as oscillators/watches, not just because of PZT, but because precise degree of cut makes the pzt effect temperature compensated, so you don’t lose time moving to a hot place.

Aminos chain to form peptides (2 - dipeptide, 3 - tripeptide etc). 50+ peptide linear chains are proteins. These have a primary structure (Cs), a secondary structure called the alpha helix (bends away to the right when you look down the length, all its amino R chains), a tertiary and quaternary structure where the protein folds on itself to become parallel/antiparallel. Alzheimers, Parkinsons etc are misfolded proteins.

How to use X-ray diffraction to check protein structure. First crystallize. Similarly crystallize virus RNA to find structure. Instead of using weakened virus that can be reactivated, use a copy that provokes the same defense response.

Crystallography studies phase transition: how heat changes molecules of barium titanate to change its dielectric properties. What pressure does to Iron (crystallizes), there might be iron crystals many kolemeters long in the core.

Diffraction at low temp gives better resolution: lower vibration = higher intensity of reflection at high angles. Cryocrystallography - flash-cool proteins so they survive longer in an X-Ray beam.

Controlled vapour deposition can grow artificial diamonds, great because it is an electrical insulator but thermal conductor (can take away heat from electric circuits). Spectroscopy developed to distinguish natural diamonds vs synthetic and protect the market.

Bremsstrahlung of continuous background ‘white radiation’. When charged particles accelerate/decelerate, they emit EMR called Larmor radiation, for instance used in radio waves

Crab nebula’s blue polarized light from ‘synchrotron radiation’, ie electrons at light speed following curved paths.

[Gumbo Ya-ya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Glazer provides a reasonably thorough, easy to read overview of the field of crystallography, with plenty of pictures and reasonably comprehensible examples. The historical overview and personal anecdotes are probably my favourite part of the book.

I think Glazer suffers from the problem that most experts suffer from once the arcane knowledge of their field has sunk into their brain: he doesn't also know the most logical way to order ideas for someone to whom they are new. Consequently, the narrative seems to hop around a little.

There are a rash of rather unfortunate typos and factual errors in the book too, which is a little disappointing, considering its source.

[Harry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gives a good overview of crystallography, and as someone doing a chemistry masters was a great refresher on some topics whilst expanding my knowledge on the more practical side of xrd and gave a lot of historical context I was unaware of. Would recommend 👍