Crystallography in school

The study of crystallography and the introduction to X-ray structure analysis are generally regarded as tasks for universities and, even then, usually only in graduate studies. However, analysis of crystal structures in science classes at high schools offers a wide range of opportunities for illustrating and improving understanding of fundamental structural chemistry concepts. This article attempts to share some experiences with crystallographers who want to work with high school students on crystallographic topics. After presenting some preconditions for introducing students to crystallographic topics, such as the curricular situation, two levels of didactical reduction are suggested. Examples of the use of database structures from the Protein Data Bank and the Teaching Subset of the Cambridge Structural Database in chemistry lessons are presented. In the Göttingen experimental laboratory for young people, XLAB, high school students can carry out the essential steps of structure determination, structure solution and refinement of X-ray diffraction data themselves, using aspirin or citric acid as examples. Finally, a network scheme for promoting crystallographic topics in the classroom is proposed.