The Geometrical Theory of Electron Diffraction and Analysis of Clay Mineral Diffraction Patterns

Abstract

In a crystalline substance, the material particles (atoms, ions, or molecules) are distributed in a regular manner, forming the crystal structure. In this structure, both the individual particles and their groupings alternate in three dimensions in such a way that their relative environments are the same throughout the structure. Thus, any arbitrary point in the structure corresponds to a multitude of other points, identical to it and arranged in a definite sequence which varies with the particular structure. Any of these sets of identical points having the same relative spatial arrangement is a characteristic feature for a given structure and, under the name of a space lattice, serves as a means of describing the structure.