Section 1.2.5.2. Classifications of space groups

There are an infinite number of space groups because there are an infinite number of known or conceivable crystals and crystal patterns. Indeed, because the lattice parameters depend on temperature and pressure, so do the lattice translations and the space group of a crystal. There is great interest in getting an overview of this vast number of space groups. To achieve this goal, one first characterizes the space groups by their group-theoretical properties and classifies them into space-group types where the space groups of each type have certain properties in common. To get a better overview, one then classifies the space-group types such that related types belong to the same `superclass'. This classification is done in two ways (cf. Sections 1.2.5.4 and 1.2.5.5):

In reality, the tables in Chapters 2.2 and 2.3 and the graphs in Chapters 2.4 and 2.5 are tables and graphs for space-group types. The sequence of the space-group types in IT A and thus in this volume is determined by their crystal class, their crystal system and their crystal family. Therefore, these classifications are treated in the next sections. The point groups and the translation groups of the space groups can also be classified in a similar way. Only the classification of the point groups is treated in this chapter. For a more detailed treatment and for the classification of the lattices, the reader is referred to Chapter 1.5 of this volume, to Part 8 of IT A or to Brown et al. (1978).