Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 11, 2026

Synchrotron X-ray Microdiffraction and Fluorescence Imaging of Mineral and Rock Samples
Published on: June 19, 2018
What does the crystallography of stones tell us about their formation?
1Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287-1504, USA. Peter.Rez@asu.edu.
Abstract:
The mineral phase makes up most of the mass of a kidney stone. Minerals all come in the form of crystals that are regular arrangements of atoms or molecular groupings at the atomic scale, bounded macroscopically by well-defined crystal faces. Pathologic nephroliths are a polycrystalline aggregate of submicron crystals. Organic macromolecules clearly have an important role in either promoting or preventing aggregation and in altering the morphology of individual submicron crystals by influencing the surface energies of different faces. Crystals, similar in morphology to those grown in solution, are often found for calcium oxalate dihydrate, brushite, cystine and struvite. This is not the case for calcium oxalate monohydrate and hydroxyapatite, two of the most common constituents of stones.
Related Concept Videos
Determination of Crystal Structures
X-ray Crystallography
Diffraction
Diffraction is the change in the direction of travel experienced by an electromagnetic wave when it encounters a physical barrier whose dimensions are comparable to those of the wavelength of the light. X-rays are electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths about as long as the distance between neighboring...
Crystal Growth: Principles of Crystallization
Initiating crystallization involves manipulating the concentration of the solute and the temperature of the solution. Since crystal growth occurs when the ratio of concentration and solubility of the solute in the solvent...
X-ray Diffraction of Biological Samples
According to Bragg's law, when X-rays strike the sample positioned on a stage, the rays are scattered by the electron clouds around the sample atoms. The X-ray diffraction or scattering is caused by constructive interference of the X-ray waves that reflect off the internal...
Ionic Crystal Structures
Most monatomic ions behave as charged spheres, and their attraction for ions of opposite charge is the same in every direction. Consequently, stable structures for ionic compounds result (1) when ions of one charge are surrounded by as many ions as possible of the opposite...
Imperfections in Crystal Structure: Non-Stoichiometric Defects

