TAN, ALDRIN A.

February 26, 2016

2015-89741

MSE 225 X-ray Crystallography and Spectrography

Dr. Alberto Amorsolo Jr.
Reflection Paper #2

On this reflection I included those learning and topics that I havent included yet on the first reflection paper and
continue up to the recent and latest discussion. For continuation on the module of the properties of x-ray this was on
February 5 discussion, I learned that by considering not only the interactions of electrons and atoms but also the
interaction of x-rays and atoms, a further understanding of the electronic transitions can occur in atom. In situation
considering an x-ray that is bombarded on a particular matter or any forms of object, the x-ray may possibly partly
transmitted or absorbed. According to different experiment as discuss in the class, a fractional decrease in the intensity I
of an x-ray beam as it passes to a particular thickness of object is proportional to the distance traversed, x that
is

, where is the proportionality constant called as the linear absorption coefficient that is dependent of

the substance composition, its density and the wavelength of x-rays and thus giving this equation Ix = I0e-x where I0 is
the intensity of the incident x-ray and Ix is the intensity of the transmitted beam after passing through a thickness x.
Since this the linear absorption coefficient is proportional to the density then the expression for intensity I can be
written as Ix = I0e-(/)x. In addition to this information it is also discussed that the longer the wavelength of a specific xray the more it has a tendency being absorbed on the process, the shorter it is the more it is penetrating. And x-ray
peaks that can be seen on the example diagram are called characteristics x-ray that is unique for every material
subjected to x-ray beams. I also learned that absorption may be classified by scattering that takes place in all direction
and by true absorption that is due to electronic transition. I also learned that x-ray is sometimes not always be emitted
because of a process in which an atom that has been ionized through the emission of an electron with energy in the xray range as well undergoes a transition in which a second electron is emitted rather than an x-ray photon that is called
Auger effect and usually elements with atomic number less than 31 are most likely to eject auger electrons.
Furthermore, I also learned other ways of detecting x-rays such as fluorescent screens and photographic films. Because
before, I am already familiar with the counters specifically Geiger-Muller counter and Scintillation counter that we used
during under graduate studies.
On the discussion of the crystallography module part 1 that is the geometry of crystal, I initially learned to
identify the basis for classification for crystals its geometry and its property. In an old definition of crystal, a crystal is
defined as a solid composed of atoms arranged in a pattern periodic in three dimensions. In early 90s the commission
on Aperiodic Crystals proposed a new definition by which crystal is any solid with an essentially discrete diffraction
diagram and the symmetry of crystal is implied by its diffraction image. In solid state a crystal is something to have this
so called a unit cell where it described a simplest portion of the structure which is repeated periodically and show its full
symmetry. The simplest example of this unit cell is the parallelepiped which defines by its parameters the angles and its
sides.
During the lecture a 2-dimensional example pattern was shown and described for how it became to be a unit
cell in 2D and as well as described the possible position of atoms in a unit cell using this fractional coordinates
represented by x, y and z axis. Then the discussion is followed by giving the definition of the lattice defined as an array of
equivalent points in one, two or three dimensions. That is the place or an imaginary points where an atom or group of
atoms is being place and observe its environment if those atoms behaves identical as the other. I learned that primitive
is the unit cell of simplest lattice type possible it contains a single lattice point that is purely translational in symmetry.
The lecture ends by defining the cubic, bcc and fcc lattice structure then by comparing the primitive and non-primitive
cell and introducing the 14 bravais lattices and the 7 basic crystal systems. I learned some of this in my recent course
MSE 201 and MSE 241 and I can say that the delivery of the topic is well distributed and of course relevant to succeeding

discussion. As of now I dont have any question yet in relation to the topic because the question that I will be asking is
being answered during the discussion that is the time when you asked if what would be the volume for a Rhomboheral
unit cell is. Because recently I tried answering this though it had to come in my mind that it is just the same as the
volume of the face centered cubic which is

because Rhombohedral can be constructed inside the FCC lattice as for the

figure 1 below.

Figure 1: Rhombohedral primitive cell of the face-centered cubic crystal

th

Charles Kittel, Introduction to Solid State Physics, 8 Ed., 2004, pp. 11

Figure 2: Improvised model for cubic and tetrahedron structure

This photo was taken after the activity

On the continuation of the lecture this was for February 12 and 19 we start the class by creating a model for
tetrahedron and cubic structure see on figure 2. These models were used to show the actual way of getting the
symmetry of the structure which I will summarize later on. The lecture started on the definition of the stacking sequence
of hexagonal closed pack which is ABABAB and the stacking sequence for FCC structure ABCABC the stacking
sequence was demonstrated using the model on figure 3 for us to visualize it clearly that the atoms are follows the
sequential arrangement.

Figure 3: Improvised model for any crystal structure

Photo was taken during the discussion of the stacking sequence of the different crystal

We begin to define the symmetry with different definitions such as an exact correspondence of form and
constituent configuration on opposite side of the dividing line or plane, or about the center of axis. The basic definition I
found for symmetry is the quality of being made up of exactly similar parts facing each other or around an axis which I
can say a better explanation in laymans term. Next is defining the symmetry operations or its elements those are
reflection, rotation, inversion and rotation-inversion these elements has geometrical features such as point, line or a
plane that we can use to visualize order in arrangement. I learned as well that a crystal may only possess a certain
number of allowable combinations of symmetry elements which consist of 32 crystallographic groups.
Since this reflection seems to be so long for it covers a very long discussion Ill be asking some questions that
hopefully might provide the answer. Why is it possible for a five-fold crystal to exist in nature but not in theoretical
aspects? For I know the fact that it will create spaces when we try to combine several five-fold crystal. If there are
defects on a crystal is there a way to solve the percentage of defects from its original form? Thank you for reading and
answering the questions.