TEACHING CRYSTAL SYMMETRY WITH PESPECTIVES IN PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY

Carlo Maria Gramaccioli,

c/o Dept.of Earth Sciences, University of Milan, Via Boptticelli 23, I-20133 Milan, Italy

Crystallography is in a most favourable position as a means of providing very useful information and training concerning symmetry to the disciplines in the fields of mineralogy, chemistry, and physics. However, such a position has not been exhaustively exploited, because most crystallographers limit their attention to application of symmetry in solving crystal structures or in discussing a static model of such structures.

Instead, representation theory would be most useful in elucidating the connections with spectroscopy, quantum mechanics, etc. An increased attention to such theory and its connections with the concepts usually taught in crystallography (an argument which is greatly overlooked in textbooks) would provide precious information to students and younger scientists: moreover, such an attention would emphasize the role of crystallography as a basic discipline in the field of solid state.