Struct Bond (2020) 185: 1–42
https://doi.org/10.1007/430_2020_73
# Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
Published online: 4 October 2020
Early History of X-Ray Crystallography
D. Michael P. Mingos
Contents
1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2 Early Experiments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
3 Optical Crystallography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
4 Early Development of X-Ray Crystallography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
5 Basic Physics . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . 21
6 Spectacular Growth of Structural Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
7 Related Diffraction Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
7.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
7.2 Powder X-Ray Diffraction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
7.3 Neutron Diffraction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
7.4 Electron Diffraction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
7.5 Electron Microscopy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
8 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Abstract The discovery of the optical microscope played an important role in the
scientific revolution of the seventeenth century because it enabled one to directly
view objects which were invisible to the naked eye. In 1667 Robert Hooke improved
the microscope invented in the previous century in Holland and used it to examine
the “microscopic” appearance of snowflakes and plants. Others were able to view for
themselves the presence of very small objects and the structures of plants, hair, skin,
bones etc. The development of X-ray crystallography at the beginning of the
twentieth century by von Laue and the Braggs played an equally important role in
the scientific revolution which has shaped our lives. The technique they discovered
did not enable scientists to look at the molecular world by looking through a more
powerful microscope, but it provided data which when processed enabled scientists
to calculate the structures of molecules and appreciate their three-dimensional
structures. It provided the zeitgeist of our time that the knowledge of the structure
D. M. P. Mingos (*)
Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory, Oxford University, Oxford, UK
e-mail: Michael.mingos@seh.ox.ac.uk
https://doi.org/10.1007/430_2020_73
# Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
Published online: 4 October 2020
Early History of X-Ray Crystallography
D. Michael P. Mingos
Contents
1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2 Early Experiments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
3 Optical Crystallography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
4 Early Development of X-Ray Crystallography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
5 Basic Physics . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . 21
6 Spectacular Growth of Structural Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
7 Related Diffraction Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
7.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
7.2 Powder X-Ray Diffraction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
7.3 Neutron Diffraction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
7.4 Electron Diffraction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
7.5 Electron Microscopy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
8 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Abstract The discovery of the optical microscope played an important role in the
scientific revolution of the seventeenth century because it enabled one to directly
view objects which were invisible to the naked eye. In 1667 Robert Hooke improved
the microscope invented in the previous century in Holland and used it to examine
the “microscopic” appearance of snowflakes and plants. Others were able to view for
themselves the presence of very small objects and the structures of plants, hair, skin,
bones etc. The development of X-ray crystallography at the beginning of the
twentieth century by von Laue and the Braggs played an equally important role in
the scientific revolution which has shaped our lives. The technique they discovered
did not enable scientists to look at the molecular world by looking through a more
powerful microscope, but it provided data which when processed enabled scientists
to calculate the structures of molecules and appreciate their three-dimensional
structures. It provided the zeitgeist of our time that the knowledge of the structure
D. M. P. Mingos (*)
Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory, Oxford University, Oxford, UK
e-mail: Michael.mingos@seh.ox.ac.uk