Different crystal forms of the same drug may differ significantly in appearance, solubility, melting point, etc., affecting the stability, production, bioavailability, and safety of the drug.

X-ray diffraction is a method of analyzing the structure or composition of a sample by shining a monochromatic X-ray beam on it.

Recently, Applied Clay Science reported "High-pressure Raman scattering and X-ray diffraction study of kaolinite, Al2Si2O5(OH)4."