摘要：Chemical crystallography is considered one of the essential characterization techniques of inorganic chemistry since it is a critical tool in the structural determination of molecules small and large. Several attempts have been made to introduce crystallography topics at the undergraduate level, but the one present obstacle is the availability of instrumentation for undergraduates to run experiments in. State of the art X-ray diffraction instruments typically reach the ~$500,000 range and are rarely available to primarily undergraduate institutions. While accessibility to high-tech instrumentation is indeed an obstacle, there are educational sources that are quite accessible for undergraduate students, merely requiring a working computer to make use of them. Thus, the aim of this article is to touch upon the attempts to introduce the topic of crystallography to undergraduates of the inorganic chemistry laboratory at Georgia College and State University (GCSU). Two guided inquiry research type assignments are herein discussed that expose students to crystallography and enhance literature review/analysis skills that allows them to become better undergraduate researchers.
关键词：X-ray crystallography; Structure determination; Theoretical crystallography; Undergraduate research
