Xray crystallography in Italy from the early ste

Authors: Davide Viterbo

Publish Date: 2012/08/28

Volume: 24, Issue: 1, Pages: 19-32

PDF Link

Abstract

In Italy the first crystallographic studies using Xray diffraction were carried out in Milano in 1923 11 years after Laue’s discovery Until World War II the technique was used by a limited number of researchers in a few academic sites Only at the end of the 1950s and early 1960s the growth process started also thanks to the relevant interest and support by the National Research Council The birth of the Italian Crystallographic Association in 1967 signed an important development step which further promoted the expansion of the crystallographic diffraction methodologies and their applications to Chemistry Mineralogy Physics Biology and Materials Science In the following years new laboratories with up to date equipments were created in several universities and research centers important international collaborations were established international congresses and schools were held in Italy a synchrotron radiation source was built in Trieste new innovative methodologies were developed to extend the fields of application of diffraction techniques and Italian Crystallography has acquired a solid reputation at the international levelThis work would have been impossible without the constant involvement and help of the many Italian Crystallographers who have provided precious documents and photographs together with suggestions and criticisms I cannot mention all of them but just give them all a heartfelt thank A particular thank goes to Elio Cannillo who at least 2 years ago tried to involve me in the preparation of a historical section in the AIC website I am sorry to say that I never completed my task until Roberta Oberti and Giovanni Ferraris gave me a second chance asking me to present the content of this paper at the Lincei conference on “The Centennial of XRay Diffraction 1912–2012” The photographs in Figs 28 by G Crozzoli 38 and 39 by M Sterle are property of ElettraSincrotrone Trieste It has been a hard and thorny task I intend to pursue further on and I hope I did not displease too many colleagues

Keywords: