Advanced Crystallography at High Pressure

July 19-22, 2009, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China Â
This conference will cover the whole range of activities of the International Union of Crystallography (IUCr) Commission on High Pressure: Crystal structures and phase transitions, new materials, Earth and planetary science, soft and biological matter, physical and chemical properties, theory and computation, technique developments for high pressure studies on synchrotron, neutron and laboratory-based facilities. The conference will follow the sequence of meeting organized by the IUCr Commission on High Pressure (ESRF 1998, Argonne 1999, Spring-8 2000, Orsay 2002, Berkeley 2003, Saskatoon 2004, Dubna 2006, Oxford 2007).

Topics to be covered:

• Crystal structures and phase transitions
• Magnetic crystallography and physical properties
• Earth and planetary science
• Liquids and non-crystalline materials
• Polymers, proteins and biological systems
• Nanomaterials
• Materials synthesized under high pressures
• Theory and computation
• Neutron, synchrotron and laboratory techniques for high-pressure studies

Symmetry and Crystallography in Turkish Art and Culture

Satellite Conference of the ECM-25

Istanbul, Turkey, 14-16 August 2009
On occasion of the XXV European Crystallographic Meeting in Istanbul, the IUCr MaThCryst commission, in cooperation with the CrysAC commission, has organized a Satellite conference on Art and Crystallography devoted to the analysis of the crystallographic aspects of Art and Culture in Turkey and neighbouring countries an regions like Middle Asia, Caucasus, Iran, Anatolia, Middle East, including carpet ornaments and kilim frames. The Satellite conference was completed by a workshop do it yourself and a short excursion.

The 14th International Summer School will be held on August 1st-7th, 2010 at Dalian, China. Dalian locates at the southern tip of Liaodong peninsular in northeast China, with the Yellow Sea on the east, Bohai Sea on the west, facing the Shandong peninsular across the sea on the south and backed up by the vast northeast plain on the north. Dalian is an important deepwater port. It is also a trade, industrial and tourism city. Dalian lies in the warm temperate zone of the north hemisphere, with maritime feature of warm temperate continental monsoon climate. Thus, its four seasons are distinct with neither extremely cold weather in winter nor extremely hot weather in summer. The temperature of August varies from 30°C (86 oF)(highest in daytime) to 20 oC (68 oF) (lowest at night).
During the week after the school, the 16th International Conference on Crystal Growth (http://iccg16.tipc.cn) will be held in Beijing, China.

The 19th edition of the International Conference on the Chemistry of the Organic Solid State (ICCOSS XIX) will be held in Sestri Levante, a nice spot of the Genoa Riviera, sitting between Portofino and Cinque Terre.

ICCOSS meetings have a well established tradition and a few of the past meetings have been held at Jerusalem (1993), Matsuyama (1995), Stony Brook (1997), Cambridge (1999), Mainz (2001), Sydney (2003), Los Angeles (2005), and Merida (2007).

Conference Topics

ICCOSS deals with various aspects of the crystalline state and reactivity of organic and hybrid materials from preparation to characterization. It includes the investigation of  crystal structures and supramolecular architectures, crystal growth and design, inclusion compounds, topochemical reactions, nanostructures, heterogeneous interfaces. Nanoporous materials useful in gas storage and separation for energetic and environmental reasons will be highlighted. Special focussed sessions will be dedicated to polymorphism of pharmaceutical solids and to molecular machines and rotors in the solid state.

Crystal Engineering

June 6-11, 2010

Waterville Valley Resort
Waterville Valley, NH

• Chair: Â Gautam R. DesirajuÂ
• Vice Chair: Robin D. RogersÂ

Crystal engineering is the design and synthesis of functional solid-state structures, based on a bottom-up approach from smaller building blocks such as neutral organic molecules, and organic or inorganic ions. It is convenient to identify the following main sub-divisions of this subject: (1) the study of intermolecular interactions; (2) the use of these interactions in the design strategy; (3) fine-tuning of crystal structure for property optimization. Typical design strategies use hydrogen bonds and coordination bonds, which define sub-structural units that are called respectively, supramolecular synthons and secondary building units. Crystal engineering is a fascinating and new subject that has many practitioners. It has strong overlap with supramolecular chemistry, X-ray crystallography, materials science and solid-state chemistry and yet it is a distinct discipline in itself. The subject goes beyond the traditional divisions of organic, inorganic and physical chemistry, and this makes for a very eclectic blend of ideas, techniques and strategies. Included within its scope are organic molecular crystals and metal-organic framework solids.
The purpose and scope of the Gordon Research Conference is to provide a forum for the discussion of the current state of the art of this rapidly evolving, highly interdisciplinary field of crystal engineering, to identify and debate open questions, and to point out new promising research directions. The conference will bring together experts with a diverse background and will consist of the following sessions:

• Design strategies for molecular organic solids
• Co-ordination Polymers -- Structure
• Co-ordination Polymers -- Function
• Polymorphism and Crystal Structure Prediction
• Formation of Crystals
• Process Development and Scale-Up
• Organic Reactions in the Solid State
• Two-Dimensional Crystal Engineering
• The Future

MSA/GS, ANL Short Course on Amphiboles

The Short Course on ‘‘Amphiboles’’, sponsored by the Mineralogical Society of America (MSA) and by the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei (ANL), was held in Rome in October 2007. The aim of the Short Course was to update the scientific community on the extensive developments that have occurred over the last twenty years on many issues concerning the crystal-chemistry and systematics of the amphiboles, as well as their role in petrogenetic and environmental processes.Â

Amphiboles are a complex but fascinating group of minerals, which are currently the focus of several investigations in the realms of geology, petrology, mineralogy, environmental mineralogy, epidemiology and even biology. During the last two decades, most of our previous concepts on the crystal chemistry of amphiboles have had to be reformulated, owing to advances in analytical techniques (especially X-ray diffraction, SIMS analysis and infrared spectroscopy), the development of new comprehensive models and the extensive study of synthetic compositions. This new situation prompted the organization of the Short Course and the preparation of a new volume of the MSA/GSA Reviews in Mineralogy series. Volume 67 (Amphiboles: crystal chemistry, occurrence and health issues) has been edited by Frank C. Hawthorne, Roberta Oberti, Giancarlo Della Ventura and Annibale Mottana, bringing together 13 comprehensive review chapters on the major issues addressed during the workshop. These chapters are focused on concepts and results more than on techniques, including advances in crystal-chemical models, classification and nomenclature. They also present challenges and results regarding synthesis, long-range and short-range ordering, geological occurrences and health issues related to the distribution of natural amphiboles in the environment.
Roberta Oberti
Giancarlo Della Ventura

Dear Colleagues,

We cordially invite you to attend the 10th International Conference on Quasicrystals (ICQ10), which will take place in Zurich, Switzerland, July 6 â€" 11, 2008.

ICQ10 provides an excellent opportunity to learn about the latest results in the field of quasicrystals and complex metallic alloys. Due to the interdisciplinarity of the field, the spectrum of invited and contributing speakers will include mathematicians, physicists, chemists and material scientists.
Abstracts are invited in all areas of study including, but not limited to, synthesis, crystal growth, phase stability, structure, surfaces and thin films, physical properties, theory, applications and new frontiers of quasicystals and cluster-based complex metallic alloys.
Zurich is the largest city of Switzerland situated in the heart of Europe. Besides a nice lake and beautiful views of the Swiss alps, it offers an excellent infrastructure including an international airport.
We invite you to join us at ICQ10!
Walter Steurer
Conference Chair

5th European Charge Density Meeting

in conjunction with DFG 1178 annual meeting

The 5th European Charge Density Meeting (in conjunction with DFG 1178 annual meeting), took place in Gravedona, on the beautiful shores of the Lake of Como (Italy) between 6 and11 June 2008. The conference has been organized by CNR-ISTM Milan, University of Insubria at Como, University of Milan and DFG SPP-1178 .

Keynote Lectures

• Long live the QTAIM. New ideas in the Quantum theory of Atoms in Molecules (A. M. Pendas, Oviedo)
• Chemical insights from charge density (D. Stalke, Goettingen)
• The role of charge and spin density in the quantum mechanical simulation of crystalline solids. The case of X3Y2Si3O12 garnets (R. Dovesi, Torino)
• Chemical bonding at extreme conditions: a few extreme examples and new trends (Y. Xie, A. Oganov, Jilin and Zurich)
• Including theoretical information for obtaining additional and more reliable information from X-ray diffraction data (B. Dittrich, Goettingen)
• Charge density and intermolecular potential. Towards a theory of molecular aggregation and crystallization (A. Gavezzotti, Milano)
• Intermolecular interactions, a multipolar model approach (P. Coppens, A. Volkov, P. M. Dominiak, Buffalo)
• Understanding the Halogen...X (X=Halogen, Lewis Base) interactions: Application to charge transfer complexes(S. Dahaoui, Nancy)
• Applications of Experimental Electron Density Work in the Life Sciences: From Small to Macromolecules (P. Luger, Berlin)
• Application of synchrotron charge densities in materials chemistry (B. B. Iversen, Aarhus)

Topics of the ECDM5 Micro-Symposia

• Chemical bonding in extreme environments: Crystallography under high pressure or electric field (chair: U. Pietsch)
• Charge, Spin, and Momentum densities in Materials Science (chair: Y. Wang)
• Large facilities and charge density in the life sciences (chair: J. Helliwell)
• New functions and descriptors for chemical bonding (chair: M. Kohout)
• New directions in charge density refinement and density matrix reconstructions (in memory of Niels Hansen) (chair: F. Larsen)
• Static and dynamical aspects of charge density (chair:C. Matta)
• Molecular interactions : the charge density viewpoint (chair: M. Spackman)

Topics of the DFG-1178 Micro-Symposia

• Molecules
• Materials
• Life Science and Theory

Invitation

Dear Colleagues:
We cordially invite you to join the joint conference of the Asian Crystallographic Association (AsCA) and the Crystallographic Society of Japan (CrSJ) in Tsukuba, Japan, from November 20th to 23rd, 2006.  This conference is the seventh conference counting from the inaugural conference in Singapore in 1992 and follows the highly successful AsCA’04 conference in Hong Kong. It includes all aspects of materials science related to crystallography, such as nano and biological materials, and encompasses X-ray and neutron scattering/diffraction, electron microscopy, XAFS, NMR and so on. Crystal growth studies are also welcomed at the conference.
Tsukuba, in the shadow of Mt. Tsukuba, is located about 50km northeast of Tokyo and about 40km northwest of the New Tokyo International Airport in Narita. Tsukuba, formerly farming land, was established as a science city about 35 years ago, and following the International Exposition of Science and Technology (Tsukuba EXPO ’85) became well known not just in Japan, but internationally. It has grown to become an international-level research center, with 2 universities and more than 40 research laboratories. A new rail link from Akihabara (Tokyo) to Tsukuba (45 minutes) will open in summer 2005.Â
We look forward to meeting you at AsCA’06/CrSJ, which will provide you with an outstanding variety of multi-disciplinary science and a great forum to interact with international colleagues in vibrant environment.
Professor Kazumasa Ohsumi
Chairman

OBJECTIVE

• To encourage young scientists and researchers in Indonesia especially from out of Java to have a basic knowledge on neutron and X-ray scattering in materials science and biology research.
• To provide collaboration opportunities among research and development institutions, universities, and industries in the field of materials science and biology at national, regional as well as in international level.
• To increase the quality of research and development in materials science and biology especially in advanced materials, catalyst, biotechnology and molecular biology, medicine and medical science, pharmaceutical, polymers, colloids and others in Indonesia as well as regional countries.
• To build strong user groups of neutron and X-ray scattering from the local and regional scientists and researchers.
• To promote and then to establish neutron scattering facility in Serpong as a center of excellent in supporting materials science and biology research in national, regional as well as in international level

SCOPE

The conference will be discussing and covering various topics in the field of materials science and engineering, metallurgy, solid state chemistry and physics, polymers, soft condensed matter, biology, molecular biology, biochemistry, medical science, as well as pharmacy in association with neutron and X-ray scattering techniques. It also widely covers other topics such as instrument development and computer modeling or simulation in crystal and macromolecule structures for scientific and industrial applications.

Electron Microscopy and Multiscale Modeling

Moscow, 3-7 September, 2007
This interdisciplinary meeting aims to bring together experts from several areas of modern crystallography and materials science and will focus on the link between methods of direct visualisation of structures at nano- and meso-scale based on electron microscopy and diffraction, and the rapidly expanding field of multiscale materials modelling. Electron microscopy and diffraction, together with other diffraction and high spatial resolution techniques, underpin the development and characterisation of new materials for nanoscience and nanotechnology, sustainable development and advanced power generation.
Electron microscopy and diffraction has been a traditionally strong area of international collaboration, while predictive multiscale modelling is a relatively new discipline that has already made a strong impact on the development of new materials and applications. Large-scale ab-initio density functional methods, mesoscale techniques, molecular and dislocation dynamics, and investigation of defects and phase transformations in materials, combined with image simulations and methods of quantitative interpretation of diffraction patterns and high-resolution spectra advance materials science in the area that has direct bearing on modern technology.
The meeting will be held from 3-7 September in the Institute of crystallography of Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow.

The topics of the meeting include:

• Methods and techniques for direct visualisation and electron diffraction imaging of structures at nano-, meso- and macro-scale, application of these methods to the investigation of dynamical processes in materials in the bulk and at surfaces of materials, the structure and dynamical properties of defects, and high-resolution spectroscopy techniques;
• Density functional and related ab-initio approaches to modelling bulk and surface structures, and quantitative interpretation of electron diffraction patterns, high resolution electron energy loss spectra, as well as information obtained using other quantitative methods for the determination of structure and electron charge density;
• The structure and dynamics of defects, dislocations and grain boundaries, methods of direct imaging of defects, dislocations and grain boundaries, as well as other diffraction and related techniques, for example X-ray and neutron diffraction, and surface tunnelling microscopy and spectroscopy;
• Methods based on in-situ mechanical deformation, and other techniques for in-situ modification of properties of materials, combined with modelling methods and approaches to the quantitative interpretation of in-situ observations;
• Applications of the above techniques to practical problems in materials science particularly related to advanced power generation, combating climate change, and security of energy supply.