Crystal Chemistry and Crystallography

Knowledge and understanding, aimed at the description of crystalline matter, providing the skills to identify, describe and do research on the crystalline state of geological materials, with particular attention to the rules of distribution of cations and anions in crystallographic sites in the main rock-forming minerals.

Applied knowledge and understanding: the course provides the ability to recognize and appropriately describe periodicity and symmetry and to identify it through the support of morphological and basic diffraction studies, providing support to the Earth Science disciplines, which require knowledge of the properties of the crystalline state of geomaterials and the crystallographic control of the distribution of chemical elements.

Making autonomous judgements: The course delivers ability to face crystallographic problems through analysis and management of symmetry rules and how to recognize them through experimental observations. The student will be proficient on understanding and critically analyzing the experimental

results obtained through experiments aimed at recognize crystalline geomaterial from its symmetry and its crystal chemical formula, as well as the assessment of accuracy/reliability of experimental data.

Communication skills: The course will deliver the knowledge of international terminology, including symbolism and crystallographic jargon, enabling universal communication of problems and phenomena related to the symmetry of materials and its study by diffraction techniques. The student will be qualified to propagate the crystallographic knowledge outreach in a wide range of contexts.

Learning skills: The student will be able to outspread the acquired knowledge allowing him to cope independently in crystallographic research, both in geological contexts and with synthetic inorganic materials (mineralogical proxies).