X-ray crystallography is a technique that uses x-rays to determine three-dimensional structures of crystals. A single crystal of a chemical species is irradiated with a monochromatic beam of x-ray, which diffracts as it passes through the crystal. The diffracted radiation is collected by an image sensor and the data is analysed by a computer to give relative positions of atoms, bond lengths and angles, symmetry of the crystal and dimensions of the unit cell.
To fully comprehend the details of how x-ray crystallography works, we need to understand a few more concepts.
