This issue 2 of Crystallography Reviews presents a full review, a topical review and three book reviews.
Dr Helen Maynard-Casely of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Kirrawee, Australia reviews crystallography in planetary science. More precisely her title is ‘Peaks in space’ – crystallography in planetary science: past impacts and future opportunities. Given the keen interest from specialists and the public alike, who follow with excitement the different space agencies’ exploration projects to moons and planets, as well as a comet, this review should attract a wide readership.
Dr Petra Bombicz of the Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary reviews polymorphism. Her title is The way from isostructurality to polymorphism. Where are the borders? The role of supramolecular interactions and crystal symmetries. This topic also has wide ranging aspects impinging on the wish to design and engineer new polymorphs. Polymorphs also can be controversial, featuring both in legal battles and, fortunately rarely, in their reproducibility.
Prof. Adrian Rennie from the Department of Physics & Astronomy, Uppsala University, Sweden reviews the book Basic X-ray scattering for soft matter, by Wim H. de Jeu published by Oxford University Press.
Prof. Antonello Merlino from the Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Italy reviews the book Metallomics: a primer of integrated biometal sciences by Wolfgang Maret, published by Imperial College Press.
Prof. Juan Manuel García-Ruiz from the Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra, Laboratorio de Estudios Cristalográficos, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, Spain reviews the book A jewel in the crown: a history of crystal growth research at RRE/RSRE, Malvern, UK by Donald T.J. Hurle and Keith Barraclough published by Aspect Design.
As ever we welcome new ideas for review articles; please contact me at the e-mail address below.