When looking at calcite under a microscope, a scientist would immediately recognize the crystalline form of calcium carbonate by its rhombohedral appearance. That is, calcite is shaped like a ...

A single crystal from Myanmar became the rarest known mineral, revealing chemistry scientists have never found again.

UB chemist Jason Benedict and his team spent years developing photoswitchable crystals. Every crystal’s shape is a mirror of the internal arrangement of their molecules, but the molecules in ...

Meet kyawthuite, Earth’s rarest mineral. With only one known sample, this tiny gem reveals how much is still hidden underground.

Researchers have devised a mathematical approach to predict the structures of crystals -- a critical step in developing many medicines and electronic devices -- in a matter of hours using only a ...