crystallography began as the study of the macroscopic geometry of crystals.

X-rays are diffracted by electrons and therefore yield information about the distribution of electrons in the molecule. STEPS IN CRYSTAL STRUCTURE ANALYSIS A. Growing Crystals B. Microscopic Examination The crystal chosen for analysis must have a uniform internal structure and be of an appropriate size and shape. For X-ray diffraction, approximately 0.1 mm is preferred. A crystal with roughly equal dimensions and well-dened edges is ideal. Examination with a binocular microscope allows a rapid screening of crystals. A few that appear suitable should then be examined more closely through crossed polarizers. As the crystals are rotated, they should either appear uniformly dark in all orientations or they should be bright and extinguish (appear uniformly dark) every 90 of rotation. An unsuitable crystal may show dark and light regions simultaneously, or regions that do not extinguish, or different regions that display different colors.

C. Mounting a Crystal The usual way of mounting a crystal for X-ray diffraction is to glue it to the end of a glass ber that is mounted in a brass or aluminium pin.