X-ray crystallography (single crystal)
Contact: Christine McKenzie
The X-ray crystallography laboratory houses a Rigaku Oxford Synergy Dualflex diffractometer, equipped with an AtlasS2 CCD detector. This allows us to measure single crystal (and powder) X-ray diffraction data using either MoKα or CuKα radiation (λ = 0.71073 or 1.54184 Å, respectively). An Oxford Cryostream low temperature device cools the crystals, usually to 100 K, to reduce atomic vibrations and increase the precision of the data.
We routinely determine the 3D molecular and supramolecular structures of single crystals (ca. 0.01x.01x0.01mm3) of new organic and metal-organic compounds synthesized at the Department of Physics, Chemistry and Pharmacy.
X-ray powder diffraction
Contact: Frederik Westergaard Lund
Powder X-ray Diffraction is a non-destructive method used to identify the phase of powdered samples of crystalline materials. We have two dedicated Powder X-ray diffractometers.
A user-friendly bench top Rigaku MiniFlex 600 is used for routine and independent measurements by students.
More advanced measurements can be done on the PANalytical X’Pert Pro diffractometer. These include the study of temperature-dependent phase transitions (rt-1200oC), and measurements under vacuum or in inert atmosphere. Smaller samples down to a few milligrams can be measured on this machine.
