Abstract A systematic description and classification of inorganic structure types is proposed on the basis of homogeneous or heterogeneous point configurations (Bauverbände) described by invariant lattice complexes and coordination polyhedra; subscripts or matrices explain the transformation of the complexes in respect (M) to their standard setting; the value of the determinant of the transformation matrix defines the order of the complex. The Bauverbände (frameworks) may be described by three-dimensional networks or two-dimensional nets explicitely shown with structures types of the I- and F-family. Examples of structure types of different orders are listed for the homogeneous or pseudohomogeneous I-, P-, F-, Y**-, S-, + Y-, Q- and C-families and for the heterogeneous [I + W]-, [D + T]- and [Y(31) + Dx]-families. Homeotypic are those structure types, which replace their points of the configurations by polyhedra like dumb-bell (21), triangle (31), tetrahedron (4t), octahedron (6o), cuboctahedron (12co), icosahedron (12i) etc. forming the I[polyhedra]- P[polyhedra]- etc. families. Furthermore, layer descriptions are applied with two-dimensional nets of H, G, N, N[43243] and N[6434] with different stacking sequences and in combination with other nets. The system is proposed after the study of the cubic inorganic structure types and the structures of intermetallic compounds with tetragonal symmetry.
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