crystal structure

Also known as crystalline order, crystal lattice

unique arrangement of atoms or molecules in a crystalline liquid or solid

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A crystal structure is the unique, orderly arrangement of atoms or molecules that make up a crystalline solid or liquid. Understanding crystal structures matters because this arrangement determines the physical and chemical properties of materials, affecting how they behave and perform in practical applications.

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Commons category: Crystal structures

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Crystal structure of table salt (sodium in purple, chlorine in green) In crystallography, crystal structure is a description of the ordered arrangement of atoms, ions, or molecules in a crystalline material. Ordered structures occur from the intrinsic nature of constituent particles to form symmetric patterns that repeat along the principal directions of three-dimensional space in matter.

The smallest group of particles in a material that constitutes this repeating pattern is the unit cell of the structure. The unit cell completely reflects the symmetry and structure of the entire crystal, which is built up by repetitive translation of the unit cell along its principal axes. The translation vectors define the nodes of the Bravais lattice.