The crystal structures of Mek[Fe(CN)6];l·mH2O where Me = Cu, Ni and Co, have been refined from X-ray (CuKa) powder diffraction data by means of Rietveld analyses in space group . The Fe and Me ions are octahedrally coordinated by C and N atoms respectively, forming three-dimensional bimetallic networks with the CN-groups as bridging ligands. The Me(l) sites (k = 2, l=1) and the Fe sites (k = 3, l = 2) are partially occupied. Water oxygens were placed in alternative, empty metal sites.

Powder X-ray and optical data have been recorded for a sample of exceptionally rare earth-poor eudialyte (Na12(Ca, REE)6(Fe2+,Mn,Mg)3Zr3(Zr,Nb)x[Si9O27−y(OH)y]2[Si3O9]2(C1,F)z, with x = 0. 1–0.9, y = 1–3 and z = 0.7–1.4) from a pegmatitic vein associated with the peralkaline Windy Fork granite in the north–central Alaska range. The eudialyte is uniaxial positive with ω= 1.6062(2), ε= 1.6138 (3) and microprobe analyses indicate that the sum of REE + Yis less than 0.1 weight percent. Refined unit cell dimensions are: a = 14.2572(4), c = 30.1338(27), Dx= 2.67, F30= 128 (0.006, 42), M20= 76. An indexed powder diffraction pattern is given.

New hexafluoroniobates IV, VNbF6 and the high-temperature form of CrNbF6 have been synthesized by solid-state reaction. The former is isostructural with rhombohedral LiSbF6, space group R3¯, and the latter crystallizes with tetragonal symmetry, space group I/4mmm. Unit-cell parameters were determined: a=5.520(1) Å, c=13.987(5) Å, V=369.0(1) Å3, Z=3 for VNbF6, and a=5.5403(5) Å, c=8.453(1) Å, V=259.5(1) Å3, Z=2 for the “HT” form of CrNbF6. Powder diffraction data are reported.

The powder diffraction data for 1-aminoanthraquinone at 295 K (P1¯, No. 2, Z=1) are given. The cell parameters found are a=8.205(1), b=8.396(1), c=3.7882(3) Å, α=93.46(1), β=92.57(1), γ=105.13(1)°. The crystal packing model is proposed giving Rb=0.095. The disordered molecule of 1-aminoanthraquinone occupies a special position on the inversion center.

Don Hanawalt died three years ago this June. To those of us who were privileged to know him he was a special person, a man of boundless energy and tireless enthusiasm. In a very real sense Don was a founder in the use of the powder diffraction as a practical laboratory technique. His pioneering contributions included the universally employed search method which, today, still bears his name, and which really established qualitative phase identification. To Don's chagrin, his work never received the same enthusiastic acceptance among chemists that it did by mineralogists and metallurgists. Several months before Don died, Richard Rose of the Journal Staff interviewed Don with the idea of writing an article for the Journal covering Don's contributions to the field of powder diffraction in general, and his work within the International Centre in particular. Because of Don's untimely demise the work was never completed… but in order that a description of Don's interest and work in the powder diffraction field should be recorded, we have taken the tape transcripts and edited them into what we hope will be a cohesive, if somewhat abbreviated, story. Where possible, we have retained the actual language of the interview. Where necessary, minor corrections have been made to some of the dates mentioned by Don. The interview starts by reviewing the early days of X-ray analysis.

Rietveld quantitative X-ray diffraction analysis of the fly ash Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) issued by the National Institute of Standards and Technologies was performed. A rutile (TiO2) internal standard was used to enable quantitation of the glass content, which ranged from 65% to 78% by weight. The GSAS Rietveld code was employed. Precision was obtained by performing six replicates of an analysis, and accuracy was estimated using mixtures of fly ash crystalline phases and an amorphous phase. The three low-calcium (ASTM Class F) fly ashes (SRM 1633b, 2689 and 2690) contained four crystalline phases: quartz, mullite, hematite, and magnetite. SRM 1633b also contained a detectable level of gypsum, which is not common for this type of fly ash. The high-calcium (ASTM Class C) fly ash, SRM 2691, had eleven crystalline phases and presented a challenge for the version of GSAS employed, which permits refinement of only nine crystalline phases. A method of analyzing different groups of nine phases and averaging the results was developed, and tested satisfactorily with an eleven-phase simulated fly ash. The results were compared to reference intensity ratio method semiquantitative analyses reported for most of these SRMs a decade ago.

Features of the powder diffraction patterns of known polytype-like modifications of Ca3GeO5, such as 2H, 9R and 24R types, and a monoclinic polymorph have been studied by means of the patterns calculated based on their crystal structures. The result has provided keys to identify them when they coexist in the same synthetic product. Accounts have been given on the crystallographic features of the building layer and rules for layer stackings of the modifications in general. Any modification may then be constructed to predict its powder diffraction pattern.

Chromite grains in ores from the Great Dyke, Zimbabwe, exhibit varying degrees of shearing when viewed by optical microscopy. High resolution diffraction data revealed that line broadening from powder samples of sheared chromites is largely due to two or more spinel phases with slightly different cell parameters, the number of phases increasing with the degree of shearing. The dominant or “parent” phase, with parameters ranging from 8.3123(2) to 8.2676(2) Å, constitutes 57% to 76% of most samples. The cell parameters of secondary phases are generally less than that of the parent phase by δa/a0 in the range −1.3 to −4.0×10−3, the difference again tending to increase with shearing. Most reflections for the parent phase are relatively sharp whereas those for the secondary phases exhibit line broadening that could be analyzed in terms of crystallike (domain) size and rms strain. The crystallite diameters, assuming spherical particles, are relatively large for the parent phases [260(2)–100(5) nm], while those for the secondary phases range from 165(70) to 70(25) nm. The rms strain is not large for any sample and is negligible or small for the unsheared and weakly sheared material. The microstrain in secondary phases is greater than that in the parent phase and tends to increase with shearing, the maximum rms strain being 1.6(3)×10−3. Two new forms of chromite in highly sheared material are reported, one with a slight (0.33%) tetragonal distortion and the other with a cell parameter of 17.561(2) Å, greater than that of normal spinel chromites by a factor of about 3/√2, and a lowering of symmetry from Fd3¯m to Fm3¯m. Changes in chemical composition, indicated by a range in cell parameter, are attributed to tectonics that affected much of the Great Dyke. The strain is partitioned between failure by brittle deformation of the chromite grains and stress-induced cation migration leading to cells with slightly different composition.

Twenty-four coal samples representing the four major rank types were analyzed by the X-ray RIM methodology which includes mass absorption analysis by X-ray transmission and quantitative X-ray powder diffraction. Twenty-three separate mineral species were observed in the samples, many of which could be quantified in the whole coal analysis. Several mineral species at levels of 5 weightpercent or less were observed only in the ashed scans. Some dehydration and reconstitution reactions were observed in the ashing process, including the combination of organically bound alkaline-earth elements and sulfur to form bassanite and magnesium sulfates. Quartz and kaolinite dominated the silicate mineral portion of the mineralogy, whereas calcite and siderite represented the carbonate; pyrite with associated sulfate oxidation products were generally present as well. The X-ray transmission studies were successful in estimating the carbonaceous matter in the whole coal samples and comparison of the chemical oxides derived from the X-ray data with direct analyses from the Penn State data sheets revealed good correlations, although significant departures occurred for some species and a systematic underestimation of aluminum oxide from the X-ray clay peaks was observed. This study suggests that the RIM procedure can be applied to coal mineral and amorphous component analysis on a routine basis.

Diffraction patterns were recorded, and unit cell dimensions refined by the least-squares method, for lactitol and lactitol monohydrate. Refined unit cell parameters for lactitol are: a =7.622(1) Å, b = 10.764(2) Å, c = 9.375(1) Å, β= 108.25(1)° in space group P21, and those for lactitol monohydrate a =7.844(1) Å, b = 12.673(2) Å, c = 15.942(2) Å in space group P212121.

Indexed X-ray powder diffraction data are reported for three tetrahydropyridinyl oxime cognition activators. For these drugs of formula C8H15N2O+Cl− powder diffraction data calculated from single crystal structure determinations are also presented and compared to the experimentally observed powder diffraction data. Comparison of experimental and calculated powder patterns assures that single crystals are good representatives of the commercial powdered samples.