centrosymmetric and non-centrosymmetric structures

Centrosymmetric structures have a center point where every part of the structure mirrors another part across that center. Imagine a perfect circle where each point on one side has a matching point directly opposite. Non-centrosymmetric structures lack this symmetry; they don’t mirror in this way. An example is a rectangle, where opposite sides are equal but not symmetrical around a center point. This distinction is important in fields like crystallography and materials science, as it influences properties such as optical behavior, chemical reactivity, and electrical conductivity.