The Crystal Structure of Chalcopyrite Determined by X Rays

This investigation of the atomic structure of crystals of chalcopyrite (CuFeS2) was undertaken, as no study of a complex sulfide by the method of X-rays had previously been carried out. Moreover, comparatively few crystals of the tetragonal system, in which chalcopyrite crystallizes, have been examined; the only ones being certain oxides of the formula MO2 studied by Vegard [1] and by Williams [2]. Yet the determination of the structure of crystals belonging to other than the isometric system is likely to throw most light on the fundamental factors involved, such as the interatomic forces and the size and shape of the atoms themselves.