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Organic Crystal Chemistry

Tea time in Rydzyna Castle at the IXth Organic Crystal Chemistry Symposium. (Photo WLD)

Isabella Karle delivered the opening lecture on 'Aggregation, Molecular Recognition and the Role of Water in Peptide Crystals' at the IXth Symposium on Organic Crystal Chemistry (OCC-94) in Rydzyna, Poland in August 1994. Jerome Karle was the Honorary Chairman of OCC-94, a Satellite meeting of the XVth European Crystallographic Meeting. The 128 participants from sixteen countries presented 36 lectures and over 80 posters on crystallography of small molecules, inclusion phenomena, crystal engineering, hydrogen bonding, complementary methods to X-ray crystallography and thermodynamical transformations of crystals. The lectures were delivered in the beautifully renovated ball room of the Rydzyna Castle.

Highlights of the oral presentations included the description of specific interactions of water molecules with amino acid side chains in a protein structure (E. Skrzypczak-Jankun, USA), an eloquently described and illustrated study of an extremely well behaved incommensurate structure (K. D. M. Harris, UK), a lucid comparison of X-ray and NMR analysis of common materials rich in detail and complex in interpretation (Z. Luz, Israel), a detailed description of the strength and potential of synchrotron radiation for all manner of crystallographic analysis (Z. Dauter, Germany), a brilliant disquisition on a powerful technique for pattern recognition useful in the detailed analysis of inter and intra molecular geometrics and interactions (G. R. Desiraju, India), an insightful analysis of the numerous crystal forms and biological effects of the natural catherate, gosopol (M. Gdaniec, Poland), and the design of apparatus to analyze effects of temperature and vapor pressure changes on diffraction pattern of clathrate compounds (L. Nassimbeni, S. Africa). Also particularly noteworthy was the comment by Derry Jones in his closing comedy monologue that the conference reflected the dynamics of host guest interactions since after the conference ends and the guests leave, the hosts collapse.

Posters chosen for special recognition were: (2) 'Stable and Metastable Crystal Phases of 4-Methylbenzophenone' by H. Kutzke and H. Klapper of Bonn Univeristy, (2) 'Mechanism of Enantioselective Photocyclisation in a Chiral Clathrate Crystal' by A. Sekine, D. Hashizume, Y. Ohashi, K. Tanaka and F. Toda of Tokyo Institute of Technology and Ehime University, and (3) 'Crystal Structure and Investigation of Phase Transitions in Di(tetraethylammonium)pentachloroantimonate' by J. Zaleski and A. Pietraszko of Opole University and the Institute of Low Temperature and Structural Research in Wroclaw.

An evening session dedicated to Peggy Etter, chaired by J. Bernstein, included video tapes of Peggy's personal accounts of interesting organic crystal chemistry. The social events included a concert by a brass quartet, a visit to a Basilica and its catacombs, and a ride in a horsedrawn Britzkas through the countryside. Every night in the Chateau bar the participants held discussions till the small hours.

The Proceedings will appear in a Special Issue of the Journal of Molecular Structure in 1995. The meeting was sponsored by Adam Mickiewicz University, IUCr, Polish Committee of Scientific Research, Polish Committee of Crystallography, Stefan Batory Foundation, Enraf Nonius B. V., and KUMA Diffraction. The International Advisory Board was chaired by F. H. Herbstein.

W. L. Duax and A. Katrusiak