The procedure of whole-powder-pattern fitting without reference to a structural model has been applied to the determination of direction-dependent crystallite size and strain. The fitting function used is defined as the sum of (1) background intensity and (2) contributions from individual reflections given as the convolution of the observed instrumental function with the true data function in analytical form. Crystallite size and strain parameters are adjustable, together with unit-cell parameters and the integrated intensities of all reflections, during the whole-powder-pattern fitting. The procedure requires neither structural parameters nor intensity correction for preferred orientation in calculating profile intensity. The two models are incorporated for line broadening, one for isotropic size and strain effects and the other for the anisotropic size effect of cylindrical shape. The procedure has been tested for these two models using the observed data of 4 mole % Y2O3-doped tetragonal ZrO2 and hydroxyapatite, Ca5(PO4)3OH, respectively, and been shown to be effective for determining crystallite size and strain from the powder pattern with a relatively high peak density.

High resolution X-ray powder diffraction data have been collected with Bragg-Brentano geometry on samples of MgO using Ni-filtered and graphite-monochromated CuKαradiation. Selection of the characteristic radiation by Ni-filtering produces severe peak asymmetry, truncates the low-angle foot of the peak, lowers the general level of background on the low angle side, and leaves a remnant Kβpeak for all foils of reasonable thickness. When step-scan data produced by this method are used for Rietveld analysis, all of these features cause difficulties in fitting a smooth function to the background and in successfully modelling the detailed profiles of the peaks. On the other hand, Kαradiation from a diffracted-beam monochromator provides inherently more symmetric peaks and a smoothly varying background on both sides of the peak centre, both of which effects can be adequately modelled during Rietveld analysis. The primary disadvantage with monochromation is that, even with very careful setting of the pulse height discrimination, the monochromator may pass a small proportion of the λ/2 component of the incident radiation. In samples containing small quantities (i.e., 2 wt%, or less) of impurity phases, the undesirable features of the diffractometer profile (i.e., asymmetric and truncated background, and Kβand λ/2 peaks) can be of similar intensity to the main peaks arising from the impurities (as well as substructure peaks from the primary phases), thereby leading to difficulties in their identification and quantification. Nevertheless, with due care and long data collection times, the abundances of minor phases can be measured with Rietveld analysis down to levels of the order of 0.1 wt%.

FARHAN is a PC interactive, graphically oriented search–match–identification–quantification computer program for X-ray powder diffraction, which uses a variable intensity-error window (IEW). Both the intensity scale factor and the IEW for each standard phase are estimated by a simple iterative procedure. A new tunable combined figure-of-merit (agreement function) is suggested for estimating the goodness-of-fit of matches. The concentrations of the identified phases may be determined by normalized or generalized RIR quantification methods, if the RIRs of the identified phases are known.

New X-ray powder data for CaWO4 (synthetic scheelite) are presented and compared with the current PDF patterns and with a calculated pattern.

A new semi-empirical approximation for the asymmetry function to be used in the X-ray Rietveld analysis has resulted in lower values of the so-called goodness-of-fit index, defined as S = Rwp/Rexp, where Rwp is the R-weighted pattern and Rexp is the R-expected [R. A. Young, The Rietveld Method (Oxford U.P., Oxford, 1993)], with respect to the corresponding values obtained with the classical approximation used by Rietveld in his fundamental paper. A comparing test of the two asymmetry functions was carried out for the cubic Y2O3 and for αAl2O3 using either pseudo-Voigt or Pearson VII symmetrical functions and two diffractometers. As in the case of the Rietveld approximation, the present one, which employs an exponential function, is optimized using only one fitting parameter. Experimentally, the asymmetry can be considerably diminished by using Soller slits with a small opening angle (≤2°).

A well-crystallized sample of powdered KCl has been distributed among several laboratories in order to test the reproducibility of the lattice parameter measurement on different X-ray powder diffraction instruments. The precision of the determined unit-cell dimension is in the 10−5 Å range, while the discrepancies among the results from different laboratories using the same numerical analysis are at least one order of magnitude higher. It is shown that if different numerical analyses, including full pattern refinement, are used, values differing in the third decimal digit are obtained for the same data set.

The structure type of La2Ti10.27Ga9.63O38 was revealed by a search-match using the PDF. A successful Rietveld refinement (Rp=8.9, Rwp=13.3, RB=4.20) confirmed the structure to be rhombohedral (space group R3¯, No. 148) with the refined unit cell parameters a=9.1878(1) Å, α=68.458(1)°, and V=646.374(1) Å3. The structure is compared to other compounds of the davidite type, and the observed and calculated powder data are given.

X-ray powder diffraction data for the three title compounds are reported. The crystals of all three compounds are monoclinic and the space group is P21 (No. 4) in each case. (1R, 2R)-(−)- norpseudoephedrine hydrochloride has a = 5.4422(8) Å, b = 8.071(1) Å, c = 11.839(1) Å and P= 101.803(9)°. For (1S,2R)-(+)-nqrephedrine hydrochloride a = 8.457(1) Å, b = 10.337(2) Å, c = 12.575(3) Å, and β = 107.46(1)° and for(±)-norephedrine hydrochloride a = 7.4406(6) Å, b = 9.4557(6) Å, c = 14.5799(8) Å and β= 103.446(7)°.

Complete sets of correction factors for absorption and air scattering effects in X-ray powder diffraction are reported. Both symmetrical reflection and transmission techniques are considered and boundary conditions to be tested for any given value of scattering angles are listed. This may prove particularly useful on coding computer programs for correction of raw intensity data files. Effects of interstitial volume on correction for absorption and subtraction of air scattering were investigated. For samples of high interstitial volume, like loosely packed powders or aerogels, the contribution from air trapped inside the specimen is significant and leads to expressions of the air scattering correction factors different from those commonly reported in the literature.

Crystal data for RuIn3 are reported. The material is tetragonal, , with a = 6.9983 (3), c = 7.2440 (4) Å, Vol = 354.78 Å3, Z = 4, Dc = 8.34 gm/cm3. It is isostructural with the compound CoGa3. The crystals of RuIn3, which form long needles, display electrical resistivity characteristics of a typical metal.

Intensity data were obtained from a diffractometer trace taken with CuKα radiation, λ = 1.54178 Å. The structure was refined by least-squares calculations to R1 = 0.116 with 53 observed reflections. Powder pattern data are also given.