The Cambridge Structure Database, hosted at the Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre (CCDC), was instigated in 1965 by Olga Kennard thus implementing a vision first set out by John Desmond Bernal that a collection of crystal structures would open new insights, and knowledge, more than individual structures alone. In 2015 at the 50th Anniversary celebration of the CCDC held in Cambridge, Olga Kennard's lecture1 conveyed that inspiration and its achievements over the decades.
The articles in the tribute connect to the following themes:
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The CSD opened the whole area of multiple individual crystal structures of single chemical entities to yield conformational snapshots of a structure's dynamics. This is complemented by studies at multiple temperatures of a single crystal sample. X-rays and neutrons have especially contributed to all these areas and more. The article by Burgi2 (who has many decades of experience within this theme) describes this landscape.
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