The Department of Chemistry is developing a project based on its acquisition of a single crystal x-ray diffractometer. Single crystal diffractometry has become the standard method for the characterization of crystalline materials and should be taught in the undergraduate curriculum. Recent improvements in instrumentation, including speed of data collection and significant reductions in price, make this feasible. In addition to the benefits of training in modern instrumental methods, there is a decided benefit to chemistry students through the enhancement of spatial reasoning skills from continued exposure to three-dimensional problems and three-dimensional images that can be manipulated by computer. The department plans to introduce the instrument in a limited fashion in the freshman year and, with increasing sophistication, each subsequent year, culminating with a project in which students mount a crystal, collect data, assign a space group, and determine the structure during the senior year.
