The vibrations of atoms inside crystals - lattice dynamics - is basic to many fields of study in the solid-state and mineral sciences. This book provides a self-contained text that introduces the subject from a basic level and then takes the reader through applications of the theory.

The lattice dynamics of molecular crystals has undergone an enor mous progress in these last twenty years or so. The experimental and theoretical advances have been realized by two different approaches. From one side molecular spectroscopists have been primarily interested in the vibrational properties of the molecules themselves subjected to the perturbing influence of the crystal environment. From the other side the lattice dynamical theory familiar in solid state physics for atomic lattices has been extended to molecular arrays. Although the overlap between the two approaches has been considerable the reference material is rather scattered in specialized papers. The purpose of this book is to partly fill this gap and to discuss the lattice dynamical theory of molecular crystals in a compact and specialized form. As such, the book is not intended exclusively for researchers and specialists in the field but also for graduate students entering an activity in solid state mo lecular spectroscopy.

Molecular Crystals and Molecules deals with some of the problems of molecular crystallography and certain aspects of molecular structure. This book is composed of eight chapters that specifically cover the significant progress of conformational research. The opening chapter describes the structure of crystals considering the close-packing principle, disorder elements, and binary systems. The next two chapters examine the calculation of crystal lattice energy and dynamics. These topics are followed by discussions on the molecular movement, structural, and thermodynamic aspects of crystals. The final chapters look into the parameters for conformational calculations of molecules, macromolecules, and biopolymers. This book will be of great value to physical chemists and researchers who are interested in crystal and molecular structure.

This book describes how the arrangement and movement of atoms in a solid are related to the forces between atoms, and how they affect the behaviour and properties of materials. The book is intended for final year undergraduate students and graduate students in physics and materials science.