“Crystallization is one of the most beautiful processes known, and no true chemist fails to experience a thrill when he brings a new form of matter into the crystalline state for the first time. Often this is a difficult process, requiring great practical skill and persistence. In this and other practical respects, chemical synthesis is a craft, and the more craftsman-like is the approach to it, the more it is likely to be successful, and, like all things made with care and affection, beautiful.”
— R. B. Woodward, 1963
