Crystal faces versus internal

order
Crystal faces develop along planes defined by
points in lattice.
All crystal faces must intersect atoms that make
the points.
A face is more commonly developed in a crystal
if it intersects a larger no. of lattice points.
A face is more commonly developed in a crystal
if it intersects a larger no. of lattice points.
This is known as Bravais Law.
In the plane lattice ,the
faces will be more
common if they develop
along the lattice planes
labeled 1,some what
common if they
developed along 2,and
less & less common if they
develop along 3,4 & 5.
Contd
• The angle between the crystal faces depends on
the spacing between the lattice points (fig 1.10).
• Changing the lattice spacing changes the angular
relationship.
• The lattice shown here has the same horizontal
spacing between lattice points , but different
vertical spacing.
• When the spacing is small , the interfacial angle
become smaller.
• Since all crystals of the same substance will
have the same spacing between lattice points,
the angles between corresponding faces of
the particular mineral will be the same. This is
known as the “Law of constancy of interfacial
angles”.
• The symmetry of the lattice will determine the
angular relationships between crystal faces.
• Thus in distorted crystals, where the lengths of
the edges or faces of symmetry related faces are
not equal, the symmetry can still be determined
by the angles between the faces.
• Fig 1.11a shows a perfect crystal with the
symmetrically related faces having equal lengths.
• Fig 1.11b shows a crystal built on the same
lattice , but with distorted faces.
• Note that the angles between faces in the
distorted crystals are the same as in the perfect
crystal.
Unit Cell
When arrays of atoms are laid out in a space
lattice , a group of such atoms forms the unit
cell , contains all the points on the lattice that
can be translated to repeat itself in a infinite
array .
Thus, the unit cell defines the basic building
blocks of the crystals.
Also called the smallest group of atoms which
has the overall symmetry of a crystal & form
which the entire lattice can be built up by
repetition in three dimensions.
Lattice
Crystal are made up of 3 dimensional arrays
of atoms.
Here repeated applications of linear t1
translation, a non- colinear t2 translation,
and the third application of non coplanar
translation along t3 to a plane lattice has
generated a 3 dimensional array of points.
Such 3 dimensional array or network of
regularly arranged points to which the
atoms in crystal may be related is called a
space lattice.
• The atoms in the crystal structure must be
symmetrically disposed with the lattice.
 What is plane Lattice?
• A plane lattice is generated by 2 non-colinear
translations , which consists of points at
consists of points at corners of identical cell.
• Each cell can be divided into two triangles
having edges,t1 and t2.
• Five geometrically distinct triangles when
combined can form five plane lattice meshes.
Parallelogram
 Parallelogram
• Scalene & Isoceles
• Diamond , Rectangle ,Square,Rhombus
• These triangles are scalene,isoceles,rt,rt
isosceles and equilateral.
• No other geometrically distinct plane lattice is
possible.
• The lattice meshes produced by combination
of each of these traingle are shown in fig
1.13a &1.13b
 Internal order in crystal
• Crystals are ordered atomic pattern.
• A repetition of a lattice point in a linear fashion
produces a linear order, while repetition of
lattice points to this in a non-colinear & a non-
coplanar directions gives rise respectively to a 2
dimensional & a 3 dimensional internal order.
• The lattice points in the crystal may be
represented by ions or atoms or molecules or
anionic groups or combination of anionic
groups , ions and/ or atoms.
 Geometric operations
• Any motion , which brings the original lattice point
into coincidence with the same lattice point
elsewhere in the pattern , is known as an operation.
• A homogeneous pattern can be generated by a set
of geometrical operation of a single lattice point.
• The geometric operations which bring about
homogenous ordered pattern are translation ,
rotation , and combined translation & rotation
(screw operation).
 Translation & Rotation
t
• Translation only in one direction produces a
linear pattern at intervals equal to distance , t.

90°

Rotation of a lattice point about an imaginary axis by an angle

generates a sequence of lattice point along a circle . For instance ,
the angle of 90° generates a pattern with four lattice points.
 Combination of translation & Rotation

• Translation & rotation together about an imaginary axis

generates a regular pattern.
• Combined rotation of 180° & translation of half the total
translation , t generate a 2- fold screw symmetry & this
operation is the screw operation .
 Symmetry Operations
• Geometric operations such as rotation about
an axis , reflection by a mirror ,and inversion
about a point are referred to as symmetry
operation.
• Symmetry elements are rotation axis , mirror
planes and a center of symmetry.
 Rotation
• The operation in which a lattice point is brought to
new positions once or several times by rotating
around an axis between 0° and 360° is the rotational
operation.
• Rotational symmetry is expressed by the number(n)
from 1 to infinity.
• A number n=3 means that after rotation of 360°,the
lattice point coincides thrice.
• There are 1,2,3,4 and 6- fold rotation axes in crystal
symmetry.
 Mirror
• By the reflection lattice points can be
symmetrically disposed in space giving a
congruent or a enantiomorphic pattern, and
such operation is known as a mirror operation.
 Roto inversion
•
• Rotation along with inversion generates roto
inversion symmetry .
• Axes of 1,2,3,4 & 6-fold rotations can be combined
with inversion to produce roto inversion.
 Combination of rotation
•

• Two or more operations of axial rotation can

be made to obtain a regular three dimensional
pattern
Combination of rotation axes & mirrors
• A four fold axis is combined with a mirror plane
perpendicular to it.
• Four commas after four-fold rotation ,repeats
below when a mirror operation is applied.
• These identical commas below the mirror plane is
shown by dashed commas.
• For two dimensional projection , the solid commas
are used for lattice points lying above the mirror
plane and the commas for those below the mirror
plane.
• Mirror plane is shown by a solid line.
4/m
 Screw operation
• In three dimensional arrays , symmetry
operations such as rotation with translation(t)
parallel to axis of rotation produce screw
operation.
• The 2-,3-,4- and 6- fold rotational operations
can be combined with a translation where as ,a
1- fold axis has no sense of rotation because the
axis combined with translation is equal to a
translation only.
• It can be right handed (clockwise) & left handed
(anticlockwise).
• The screw axis symbols consists of the symbols for
rotation axes (2,3,4, & 6) followed by a subscript
that represents the fraction of the translation (t)
inherent in the operation.
• There are (n-1) possible screw axes for an n-fold
rotation axis ,and the translation component is 1/n.
• For instance ,21 means that t/2 obtained by placing
the subscript over the subscript over the main axis
symbol, as in a fraction) is the translation involved.
• For the 3-fold rotation ,there are 2 possible
screw axes,31 & 32.
• The translation component in both screw axes
is t/3,but a convention allows for the distinction
between the directions of the screw.
• When the ratio of the subscript to the no. of
the rotation axis (as 1/3 for 31) is less than ½,
the screw is said to be right –handed.
• When this ratio is > ½ , the screw is left –handed(as in 32).
• When the ratio equals ½,the screw is considered neutral
in direction.
• For 4-fold axis there are 3 possibilities 41,42,43 with
translation of ¼, 2/4 ,& ¾ along the parallel lattice vector.
• The axes 31 & 32 are an enantiomorphous pair of screw
axes.
• Similarly,41 &43,61 &65,& 62 &64 are enantiomorphous
pairs.