Free tools for crystallographic symmetry handling and visualization

• Published in: Journal of applied crystallography Vol. 57; no. 5; pp. 1618 - 1639
• Main Authors: de la Flor, Gemma, Aroyo, Mois I., Gimondi, Ilaria, Ward, Suzanna C., Momma, Koichi, Hanson, Robert M., Suescun, Leopoldo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 5 Abbey Square, Chester, Cheshire CH1 2HU, England International Union of Crystallography 01.10.2024; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: Bilbao Crystallographic Server; Cambridge Structural Database; Classrooms; Crystallography; Internet resources; Jmol/JSmol; Multimedia; Symmetry; symmetry visualization; Teaching and Education; Teaching methods; VESTA; Virtual reality; Visualization; symmetry visualization; Cambridge Structural Database; Bilbao Crystallographic Server; Jmol/JSmol; VESTA
• ISSN: 1600-5767; 0021-8898; 1600-5767
• DOI: 10.1107/S1600576724007659

Online courses and innovative teaching methods have triggered a trend in education, where the integration of multimedia, online resources and interactive tools is reshaping the view of both virtual and traditional classrooms. The use of interactive tools extends beyond the boundaries of the physical classroom, offering students the flexibility to access materials at their own speed and convenience and enhancing their learning experience. In the field of crystallography, there are a wide variety of free online resources such as web pages, interactive applets, databases and programs that can be implemented in fundamental crystallography courses for different academic levels and curricula. This paper discusses a variety of resources that can be helpful for crystallographic symmetry handling and visualization, discussing four specific resources in detail: the Bilbao Crystallographic Server, the Cambridge Structural Database, VESTA and Jmol. The utility of these resources is explained and shown by several illustrative examples. In crystallography there exist a wide variety of online resources such as web pages, interactive applets, databases and programs that can be implemented in both virtual and traditional classrooms. Among these, the Bilbao Crystallographic Server, the Cambridge Structural Database, Mercury, VESTA and Jmol are highlighted for teaching fundamental crystallography since they are useful resources for crystallographic symmetry handling and visualization.