The Growth of a Crystal / Being the eighteenth Robert Boyle lecture

A scientific lecture examines the processes and principles of crystal growth, describing how crystals arise from liquids or solutions and acquire distinctive symmetry and external form. It contrasts crystalline enlargement with biological growth, highlighting surface-by-surface accretion, the ability of fragments to regrow and repair, and a persistent, unchanging character that differs from living vitality. Historical observations and experimental illustrations illuminate concepts such as nucleation, morphology, and the link between chemical composition and shape, while the speaker considers the theoretical and practical implications for mineralogy and crystallography.