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Reciprocal Net
A community site about crystallography, the science of crystalline structures.
Grade Level: 9-12

http://www.reciprocalnet.org/

	CONTENT: Reciprocal Net is a “distributed database used by crystallographers to store information about molecular structures. It is funded by the National Science Foundation, and much of the material is available to the general public. Learn about common molecules, crystallography, and crystallization.
	SITE DESIGN: The site is designed with a left side navigation menu that expands when a topic is clicked. A handy site map is also available. Moving through the pages is intuitive and conforms to the standards of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) for accessibility.
	REVIEW: This site includes lots of technical information for crystallographers as well as a “Learn About” section for teachers and students. The educational materials are grouped into three categories: Common Molecules, Crystallography and Crystallization. The main feature of these materials is the collection of Common Molecules that presents general and crystallographic information on compounds encountered in daily life with a focus on the molecules that are commonly studied in classrooms. Users can view and rotate the molecule in 3D as they learn about molecules of minerals and gems, biochemicals, ions and elements, medicines, insects, plants, and space. This site is growing and a tutorial in crystallography aimed at students in chemistry and biology is planned for the near future.
	RELATED REVIEWS: Science: Chemistry

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