Crystallography Arrangement in Crystals

Atomic arrangement
Crystalline

Atomic

Amorphous or glassy Atoms of unequal size Global Long range order

Atoms of equal size Local Short range order

Random crystalline

1. Space lattice: Regular and repeated arrangement of (imaginary) points in 3 dimension forming the basis or skeleton or framework of atomic arrangement with global order (random crystalline or long range order). - each point has identical surrounding - equivalent points (origin anywhere) - indistinguishable - possessing all properties of the crystal 2. Unit cell: Smallest building blocks (local arrangement) or a parallelepiped with atoms at specific locations or bearing a fixed relation with those and preserving all properties of the crystal system/lattice. Characterized by the lattice parameters or constants axial lengths (a, b, c) and angles (, , ).

3. Crystal systems: Seven possible variations of the fundamental shapes of unit cells to fill up the three dimensional space. The unit cells having atoms only at the corners are called the primitive cells.
Cubic a = b = c, Tetragonal a = b c, Orthorhombic a b c, Rhombohedral a = b = c, Hexagonal a = b c, Monoclinic a b c, Triclinic a b c, = = = 900 P, I, F = = = 900 P, I = = = 900 P, I, C, F = = 900 R = = 90o = 1200 P = = 90o P, C 900 P

4. Bravais/crystal lattice: 14 Bravais lattices with atoms both at corners (primitive) and inner positions (non-primitive sites: body, face and base centers). FORTEEN is a magic number (maximum possible variations of Bravais lattices). Space lattice, unit cell, crystal system, Bravais lattice are all imaginary structures.

5. Fundamental tenets of crystallography: Elemental crystals: 1. Atoms are hard, inelastic, non-compressible spheres. 2 Spheres touch each other in close packed direction. 2. Not the entire volume of unit cell is filled up. 3. Atoms are indistinguishable. 4. Each atom/ion has an identical surrounding. 5. Any crystallographic point is equivalent and can be treated as origin. 6. Unit cells make up space lattice with no gap in 3-d by repetition. 7. Atoms/ions are located on lattice points or bear fixed relationship to them (atomic association). 8. Each space lattice possesses some minimum symmetry elements. 9. Repetition of symmetry operations on a single point may generate the whole crystal in space. 10. Space lattices are defect free ideal crystals.

Compound crystals: 1. Vector translations must begin and end on same kind of atoms/ions. 2. A and B sets of atoms must separately possess the same minimum symmetry elements such that the said symmetry operations bring the atoms of same kind into self-coincidence. Number of atoms in orthogonal cells (N) = Ni +
Nf 2

Nc 8

6. Symmetry in a crystal: A body/structure is said to be symmetrical when its components are arranged in such a balance that certain operations can bring the body into selfcoincidence. Four macroscopic symmetry operations: reflection, rotation, inversion, rotationinversion. 7 crystal systems 14 Bravais/crystal lattices 32 point groups (microscopic symmetry) 230 space groups (microscopic symmetry elements