Episode 17: Crystal lattice models
At the entrance to the South Tower, on the Alameda do Técnico campus, several small models of crystalline networks don’t go unnoticed. They represent various chemical substances, at a magnification of 100 million, and “allow a chemical reading of the interactions between molecules and atoms in the crystal”, as Clementina Teixeira, a retired Técnico professor, tells us. They were acquired in 1998 in Budapest and have somewhat revolutionised Técnico’s teaching of crystal models. “There are many models, but these are special because they are rigorous.” Crystal lattice models or “Beevers miniature models” featured in the 17th episode of the “110 Stories | 110 Objects” podcast.