Introduction to Crystallography

Frank Hoffmann is Scientific Supervisor and Head of the Central X-Ray Department of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Hamburg. After studying chemistry and obtaining a doctorate at the University of Hamburg, he worked as a scientific assistant to Professor Michael Froeba at the University of Giessen on periodic mesoporous organosilicas (PMOs) before moving to Hamburg in 2007 together with Froeba. His current research focus is metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). In 2014, Hoffmann held a seven-week Internet Course (MOOC) with approximately 2000 participants from around the world on the subject of crystals and symmetry. Website to the book: crystalsymmetry.wordpress.com/textbook/

1 Introduction.- 2 Crystal forms and Bravais lattices.- 3 Symmetry (is everywhere) .- 4 Symmetry in the plane - via wallpaper patterns, Islamic mosaics, pictures by Escher and heterogeneous catalysts.- 5 Translational symmetry elements in crystals and space groups I.- 6 Space Groups II - International Tables.- 7 Some Real Crystal Structures - From Theory to Practice.- 8 "Forbidden" Symmetry.- 9 Porous crystals, crystal structures as nets, and an insight into the crystallographic topology.- A Appendix.

"It is a nice introduction to the subject for students of the earth sciences, chemistry and possibly the life sciences. ... considering that for an increasing fraction of students a formal and rigorous treatment has become highly repulsive, a textbook like the present one does have a role to play." (Massimo Nespolo, Acta Crystallographica, May 4, 2021)