This book invites you on a tour through the most relevant topics of solid-state chemistry. It provides an up-to-date overview about fascinating structures of inorganic matter and new research developments. The reader will also gain crucial insights into many aspects of material science, from ceramics to superconductors. One chapter is specifically dedicated to the most rapidly evolving field of material science: metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). The book contains a chapter which is often neglected in others due to its complexity, the intermetallic phases. A concise but very didactic introduction to crystallographic specifications ensures that the reader will gain a deeper understanding of the crystal structures presented in the book.

The book places special emphasis on the graphical illustrations which were specifically designed to promote real insights into the structural features. Instead of having to decipher hard to distinguish graphics the reader has an eye-opening experience.

A further added value is that many references to the original research publications are given which enables easy follow-up for more detailed study.

Frank Hoffmann is a senior lecturer at the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry and head of the X-ray crystallography division at the Department of Chemistry at the University of Hamburg. After studying chemistry and obtaining a PhD at the University of Hamburg, he worked as a research assistant in the group of Prof. Michael Fröba at the University of Giessen in the field of periodic mesoporous organosilicas (PMOs). Since his return to Hamburg in 2007, he has worked primarily on metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with a special focus on the topological analysis of such compounds. He is author/co-author of about 70 scientific publications, including two book chapters.

In 2014 he offered a 7-week "Massive Open Online Course" (MOOC) on the subject crystals and symmetry, in which more than 2,000 participants were enrolled. The content of this internet course is summarized in a textbook, available in German and English. He has received several teaching awards from the Hamburg Chemistry department for the "best lecture of the semester". He also maintains a YouTube channel, where the MOOC videos are available, his own crystallography blog and is active on twitter as @crystalmooc.