Knowledge of Crystal Structure

CRYSTALLINE STATE

Crystalline and Amorphous States

Laue’s discovery of X-ray diffraction demonstrated that very few solids are amorphous. Materials such as the rocks and soil, metals and alloys, wood, concrete, and even textile fibers are crystalline, at least partly. Rubber becomes crystalline when being stretched, and even bones, hair, muscle fibers, and tendons of animal body are partly crystalline. The most reliable means of demonstrating this crystalline nature is the X-ray diffraction technique. Using X-ray examination, at least 95% of solid inorganic chemical substances are found to be crystalline, and more than 98% of minerals show definite crystalline structure [8-11].....