Crystals and Minerals

Abstract

The objective of this course is to present the basic concepts needed to understand the crystal structure of materials. Some important crystal structures will be covered. The application of X-ray diffraction and other spectroscopic methods to the crystals will be briefly discussed.In the Mineralien part, the students familiarize with about 70 minerals and their macroscopic properties.

Objective

At the end of this course students should be able to: • Define the fundamental concepts of crystals such as lattice, motif, unit cell, crystal systems, lattice systems, symmetry, point groups, space groups, Miller indices, close-packed structures, and so on. • Classify the crystal structures in a proper way. • Describe the crystal structures in a proper way. • Be familiar with the important crystal structures related to the Earth Sciences. • Be familiar with the measurement techniques to characterize the crystal structures and chemistry. At the end of the Mineralien hands-on course, the students will be able to determine and describe the mascroscopically observable properties of about 70 minerals and know the sum formulae of about 50 of them.

Content

Crystallography course: • Minerals & Crystals • Lattice • Motif (or Basis) • Unit cell • Crystal coordinate system • Lattice parameters • The 7 crystal systems • The 14 Bravais lattices • Symmetry • Point groups • Space groups • Miller Indices • d-spacing • Crystal densities • Close-packed structure • HCP & CCP structures • Metallic crystals • Ionic crystals • Covalent crystals • Phase transitions • Bragg's Law • X-ray diffraction • Spectroscopic methods Minerals hands-on course: About 70 of the most important rock-forming and ore minerals and their properties

Resources