International Year of Crystallography - 2014

Crystals – familiar to all in gemstones, glittering snowflakes or grains of salt – are everywhere in nature. The study of their inner structure and properties gives us our deepest insights into the arrangement of atoms in the solid state - insights that advance the sciences of chemistry, solid-state physics and, perhaps surprisingly, biology and medicine. A century has passed since crystals first yielded their secrets to X-rays. In that time, crystallography has become the very core of structural science, showing us the structure of DNA, allowing us to understand and fabricate computer memories, showing us how proteins are created in cells, and helping us to design powerful new materials and drugs.

That is why in July 2012, following a proposal from Morocco, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the resolution that 2014 should be the International Year of Crystallography, 100 years since the award of the Nobel Prize for the discovery of X-ray diffraction by crystals.

This website will provide an opportunity for organizations worldwide to coordinate their activities and initiatives.

Bragg Centenary Symposium

Celebrating 100 Years of X-ray Crystallography

[Delegates at the Bragg Symposium, Adelaide, December 2012] November 2012 marked the centenary of the founding of X-ray crystallography by Lawrence Bragg, a field in which he and his father, William, made pre-eminent contributions that were recognised by the award of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1915. William was the Elder Professor of Physics at the University of Adelaide from 1886 to 1909 and Lawrence was born and educated in Adelaide.

To celebrate this important anniversary, the legacy of the Braggs’ discoveries in X-ray crystallography and the insights that they have provided into the structure of matter, a combined scientific meeting of the Asian Crystallography Association and the Society of Crystallographers in Australia and New Zealand, held in Adelaide from 2 to 5 December 2012, was followed by the Bragg Symposium at the University of Adelaide on 6 December. This special Commemorative Symposium explored some of the historical context and personal links to the Braggs' work, and presented some contemporary aspects of the broader scientific and social impacts of the Braggs' work.

Pictured are many of the speakers and organisers. At the centre of the front row is Patience Thomson, younger daughter of Lawrence Bragg (and a granddaughter of the pioneering atomic physicist J. J. Thomson), whose personal recollections of her distinguished father were a particular highlight.

Learn about crystallography

In the run-up to the International Year of Crystallography, we will feature a number of interesting books, articles, audio or video links that will help to provide an introduction to the marvellous world of crystallography. A complete list of such links can be found in the 'learn' part of this website.

Voyage dans le Cristal - a Journey into Crystals

Voyage dans le cristal was a major exhibition shown in 2009 in Grenoble and other French cities, and the basis for a presentation at the 2012 Bragg Centenary Symposium in Adelaide. The exhibition presents to the general public the science and the beauty of matter in the crystalline state. The exhibition was mounted with the contribution of numerous partner laboratories under the management of the Grenoble Museum of Natural History and the French Association of Crystallography. Voyage dans le cristal recounts humanity’s interaction with crystals, through art and science, from prehistoric times to the present day. It invites the public on a voyage to discover crystals in their many aspects: their wonder and mystery; their place in the history of science; their use in multiple contemporary applications.

Original version of the exhibition posters used in the Bragg Symposium presentation courtesy of Jean-Louis Hodeau (Institut Néel – CNRS – Grenoble) and Association Française de Cristallographie

In Our Time: Crystallography

Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the history of crystallography, the study of crystals and their structure. The discovery in the early 20th century that X-rays could be diffracted by a crystal revolutionised our knowledge of materials. This crystal technology has touched most people's lives, thanks to the vital role it plays in diverse scientific disciplines - from physics and chemistry, to molecular biology and mineralogy. To date, 28 Nobel Prizes have been awarded to scientists working with X-ray crystallography, an indication of its crucial importance.

The history of crystallography began with the work of Johannes Kepler in the 17th century, but perhaps the most crucial leap in understanding came with the work of the father-and-son team the Braggs in 1912. They built on the work of the German physicist Max von Laue who had proved that X-rays are a form of light waves and that it was possible to scatter these rays using a crystal. The Braggs undertook seminal experiments which transformed our perception of crystals and their atomic arrangements, and led to some of the most significant scientific findings of the last century - such as revealing the structure of DNA.

With:

Judith Howard, Director of the Biophysical Sciences Institute and Professor of Chemistry at the University of Durham
Chris Hammond, Life Fellow in Material Science at the University of Leeds
Mike Glazer, Emeritus Professor of Physics at the University of Oxford and Visiting Professor of Physics at the University of Warwick

Producer: Natalia Fernandez

Broadcast: BBC Radio 4 November 27, 2012

IYCr2014