Crystals are famous for their beautiful appearance , but it is the internal structure, too small to be seen by eye, that makes them interesting to scientists.
.
Crystallography is a technique
for investigating the structure of matter in the ordered solid state, scientifically
defined "crystalline state".
The technique reveals the three-dimensional arrangement of the smallest entities
of matter, atoms, ions, molecules from minerals ( http://www.webmineral.com/
) to the molecules
of life. By throwing x-rays, a very energetic and fine radiation, onto
crystals it is possible to obtain experimental data which allow one to locate
the individual entitites that make up the crystal.. Automatization of the
methods and computer development have contributed to enormous progress in
this science. There are good reasons for believing that these results, i.e.
the crystal structure, very often explain the physical, chemical, biological,
pharmaceutical properties of the analysed substance. The most exciting steps
by Crystallography today are helping scientists understand how life works
at the molecular level, and leading medicinal chemists to discover new drugs
to treat diseases.
If you wish to know more about these achievements, request a copy of the publication "The Structures of Life" by emailing pub_info@nigms.nih.gov. It can be found also on line.
Crystallographers cover therefore a broad range
of applications, reflected in the interdisciplinary nature of the several
courses that have been held at the International School of Crystallography
in Erice for the past
32 years and that are planned for the near
future.
The International School of Crystallography is a forum to bring together the
leaders of the various fields of crystallography with promising young students
from around the world for an intensive learning experience that they are unlikely
to get anywhere else. This activity has been recognized during the August
2005 Congress in Florence, with an "exceptional
award" by the International Union of Crystallography, for the first
time in its 58 years of existence ( see below)
