Crystals Reference Manual

Contents:

Version 14 of CRYSTALS is based on a version (Issue 2) written by J.R. Carruthers in collaboration with J.S.Rollett during 1977-78, which was a rewrite of the 1975 CRYSTALS system implemented on the ICL 1900 series of computers. It contains significant contributions by Paul Betteridge, David Kinna, Lisa Pearce, Allen Larson, and Eric Gabe and many students and visitors to the Chemical Crystallography Laboratory, Oxford. The graphical user interface (GUI) was written by Richard Cooper as part of a Part II and D Phil project (supported by a CCDC studentship) in collaboration with Ludwig Macko and Markus Neuburger in Basel, who were working on a parallel Macintosh interface.

If publishing structures analysed using CRYSTALS, please select a suitable citation from this list:

  • Absolute structure determination with CRYSTALS: Cooper, R. I., Watkin, D. J., and Flack, H. D. (2016) Acta. Cryst. C72, 261-267

  • Use of non-atomic scattering density models: Schroder, L., Watkin, D. J., Cousson, A., Cooper, R. I., and Paulus, W. (2004) J. Appl. Cryst. 37, 545–550

  • Use of asymmetric restraint tools: Cooper, R. I., Thorn, A. and Watkin, D. J. (2012) J. Appl. Cryst. 45, 1057–1060

  • Use of restraints: Parois, P., Arnold, J., and Cooper, R. I. (2018) J. Appl. Cryst. 51

  • Use of resonant scattering correction to Squeeze correction: Cooper, R. I., Flack, H. D., and Watkin, D. J. (2017) Acta Crystallographica, C73, 845–853.

  • Use of tools for large structures. Parois, P., Cooper, R. I. and Thompson, A. L. (2015) Chemistry Central Journal, 9, 30

  • An old general citation: Betteridge, P. W., Carruthers, J. R., Cooper, R. I., Prout, K., Watkin, D. J. (2003). J. Appl. Cryst. 36, 1487.

While CRYSTALS can still be executed in ‘batch mode’ (ASCII file in, ASCII file out), the major demand is now for the version running under Windows, with some small demand for the LINUX version. The GUI permits the user to continually see the structure as it develops, and to interact with it and the analysis through conventional windows features. The ‘command line’ and ‘use file’ modes have been retained for experienced users, or users wishing to explore new ideas. The ‘SCRIPTing’ language has been extended to enable full control and design of the user interface to be handled from ASCII files.