A Brief History of Fourier Methods in Crystal-structure Determination

Abstract

Fourier methods for the determination of crystal structures were first suggested by Bragg in 1929, and were then successfully used by Beevers and Lipson for determining the structure of CuS04.5H20 in 1934. It was necessary for methods of summation to be devised, and after some experimentation the Beevers-Lipson strips became established as the best device for the work. They enabled increasingly complicated structures to be derived, but ultimately more elaborate and automatic devices based on digital computers had to be introduced. At the same time, isomorphous-replacement, heavy-atom and direct methods were also developed and these have enabled structures of enormous complexity to be successfully determined.