Crystal structure

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In mineralogy and crystallography, a crystal structure is a unique arrangement of atoms in a crystal. A crystal structure is composed of a motif, a set of atoms arranged in a particular way, and a lattice. Motifs are located upon the points of a lattice, which is an array of points repeating periodically in three dimensions. The points can be thought of as forming identical tiny boxes, called unit cells, that fill the space of the lattice. The lengths of the edges of a unit cell and the angles between them are called the lattice parameters. The symmetry properties of the crystal are embodied in its space group. A crystal's structure and symmetry play a role in determining many of its properties, such as cleavage, electronic band structure, and optical properties.

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News tagged with crystal structure


Computational microscope peers into the working ribosome

Computational microscope peers into the working ribosome (w/ Video)

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Nov 23, 2009 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (9) | comments 2

Two new studies reveal in unprecedented detail how the ribosome interacts with other molecules to assemble new proteins and guide them toward their destination in biological cells. The studies used molecular ...


A sticky solution for identifying effective probiotics

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created Nov 24, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Scientists have crystallised a protein that may help gut bacteria bind to the gastrointestinal tract. The protein could be used by probiotic producers to identify strains that are likely to be of real benefit to people.





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Snowflake chemistry could give clues about ozone depletion

Snowflake chemistry could give clues about ozone depletion

Chemistry / Analytical Chemistry

created Dec 07, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

There is more to the snowflake than its ability to delight schoolchildren and snarl traffic.


Peptides control crystal growth with 'switches, throttles and brakes'

Peptides control crystal growth with 'switches, throttles and brakes'

Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine

created Nov 23, 2009 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (5) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- By producing some of the highest resolution images of peptides attaching to mineral surfaces, scientists have a deeper understanding how biomolecules manipulate the growth crystals. This research ...


Watching Proteins Direct Crystal Growth One Step at a Time (w/ Video)

Watching Proteins Direct Crystal Growth One Step at a Time (w/ Video)

Nanotechnology / Nanophysics

created Dec 16, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists at Berkeley Lab's Molecular Foundry imaged the growth of protein-studded mineral surfaces with unprecedented resolution and provided a glimpse into how living systems engineer key ...


Researchers put a new spin on atomic musical chairs

Researchers put a new spin on atomic musical chairs

Nanotechnology / Nanophysics

created Dec 02, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 0

Researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Naval Research Laboratory have developed a new way to introduce magnetic impurities in a semiconductor crystal by prodding it with ...


Entropy alone creates complex crystals from simple shapes, study shows

Entropy alone creates complex crystals from simple shapes, study shows

Chemistry / Materials Science

created Dec 09, 2009 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (21) | comments 2

(PhysOrg.com) -- In a study that elevates the role of entropy in creating order, research led by the University of Michigan shows that certain pyramid shapes can spontaneously organize into complex quasicrystals.


Scientists get up close to bacteria's toxic pumps

Scientists get up close to bacteria's toxic pumps

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Nov 30, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Scientists are building a clearer image of the machinery employed by bacteria to spread antibiotic resistance or cause diseases such as whooping cough, peptic stomach ulcers and legionnaires' disease.


New structure could produce efficient semiconductor laser sources

New structure could produce efficient semiconductor laser sources

Physics / General Physics

created Dec 14, 2009 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (3) | comments 1

(PhysOrg.com) -- University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers have achieved a nanoscale laser structure they anticipate will produce semiconductor lasers in the next two years that are more than twice as efficient ...


New hydrogen-storage method discovered

New hydrogen-storage method discovered

Chemistry / Materials Science

created Nov 22, 2009 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (43) | comments 15

Scientists at the Carnegie Institution have found for the first time that high pressure can be used to make a unique hydrogen-storage material. The discovery paves the way for an entirely new way to approach ...


Vacuum flask

Scientists Create Material More Insulating than the Vacuum

Physics / General Physics

created Dec 10, 2009 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (57) | comments 26

(PhysOrg.com) -- With its complete lack of atoms, a vacuum is often considered to be the best known insulator. For this reason, vacuums are regularly used to reduce heat transfer, such as in the lining of ...


Sparkly Spiders and Photonic Fish

Sparkly Spiders and Photonic Fish

Physics / Optics & Photonics

created Dec 09, 2009 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists in Israel and the UK have uncovered the details of how certain fish and spiders create their iridescent scales and silvery skins.



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