X-ray cristallography

 

Vegard demonstrated circa 1910 that metamict minerals do not provide a X-rays diffraction spectrum.

 

Max von Laue (1879 - 1960), pioneer of X-ray crystallography, realised in 1912 the first experiment of X-rays diffraction on a sphalerite crystal and thus brought a definitive demonstration to the theory of the periodic structure of the crystals. Publish in 1948 "Röentgenstrahl-Interferenzen ".

 

The work of William Henry Bragg (1862 - 1942) and his son William Laurence Bragg (1890 - 1971) really constitutes the bases for the cristallochemistry and allows a rigorous definition of the mineral species. They received the Nobel Prize in 1915. Their book " X-Rays and Crystal structure " was published in 1924. They realised in 1924 the first determination of the atomic structure of a mineral (halite). They published in 1937 their book " Atomic structure of minerals ".

 

Petrus Debye (1884 - 1966) developed X-ray crystallography, one owes him a diffractometric method known as Debye - Scherer method still universally used for the identification of minerals. He received the Nobel Prize in 1936.

 

Ramachandran realised in 1944 the first x-rays topography studies on diamond.

 

The first volume of the "International Tables for X-Ray Crystallography" is published circa 1950.

 

Castaing introduced in 1951 the electronic microprobe.