Doubly curved crystal (DCC) X-ray optics provide an enabling technology for new portable, remote, and in situ applications of monochromatic X-rays for composition and structure analysis of amorphous, polycrystalline, and crystalline solids. Femtogram sensitivity for surface contamination, parts-per-billion (ppb) impurity levels for solids, and composition, structure and uniformity of thin films with compact, low power (20–50 W) source optic combinations are possible.

Powder X-ray diffraction data are reported for RE6UO12 (RE=Eu, Gd, and Dy). The powders were prepared by a solution combustion method using urea as fuel. All compositions exhibit a rhombohedral structure with hexagonal unit cell parameters of a=1.012 67 (9) nm, c=0.9601 (1) nm for Eu6UO12; a=1.008 78 (6) nm, c=0.954 24 (7) nm for Gd6UO12; and a=0.998 06 (7) nm, c=0.944 03 (8) nm for Dy6UO12. The diffraction patterns of all the compounds are indexed on the R3¯ space group with Z=3. The a and c values decrease with increasing atomic number of the rare earth ion.

Improved powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) data for franzinite, the ten-layer member of the cancrinite group of minerals, were obtained using an automated parallel-beam powder diffractometer with a capillary mount. The cell parameters of franzinite were found to be a=12.8976(3) Å, c=26.5040(8) Å, V=3818.2(2) Å3 in space group P321, while the strongest reflections were at 3.725(100), 3.809(65), 3.562(56), 3.586(55), 2.662(42), 2.150(31) and 3.302(30) Å. The new results include an increased number of indexed peaks, improved figures-of-merit with respect to PDF 30-1170 and intensities validated by Rietveld refinement.

The crystal structure of the layered cadmium hydroxide sulfate Cd4SO4(OH)6.1.5H2O has been solved from X-ray powder diffraction data. The compound crystallizes with hexagonal symmetry, a=9.145(1) Å, c=15.099(3) Å, V=1093.5 Å3, Z=4, space group P63. Due to the unusual environment of one cadmium atom and to the fact that a suitable thin tabular crystal could be found later, a single-crystal X-ray diffraction experiment was also carried out. In both cases the structure was solved applying direct-methods. The refinements converged to the residual factors Rwp=0.152 and RF=0.059 from the powder data and R1=0.058 and wR=0.165 for the single crystal data case. The structure is built from brucite-type layers based on CdO6 octahedra, in which one-seventh of the octahedral sites are empty. Directly above and below these empty sites, two additional octahedrically coordinated Cd atoms are located. The crystal chemistry of the cadmium hydroxide sulfate family is discussed.

The existence of glass or amorphous component in Portland cement clinker has been questioned for a long time. However, besides the crystalline phases, there are reports in the literature of noncrystalline material in cement clinker, which is considered to be the residue of the melt that has failed to crystallize. Absolute phase abundances were determined in this study by Rietveld refinements with laboratory X-ray data, using both internal and external phase composition standards. The results clearly demonstrate the existence of an amorphous component in Portland cement clinker. The presence of an amorphous component was also apparent from diffraction data for clinker from which the silicate phases had been chemically removed, using both laboratory X-ray and synchrotron radiation patterns.

The structure of the Ba5R8Zn4O21 series (R=lanthanides) was investigated using X-ray Rietveld refinements. The compounds were successfully prepared for R=Eu, Gd, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, and Yb. Ba5R8Zn4O21 crystallizes in the tetragonal space group I4/m; for R=Yb to Eu, a ranges from 13.635 02(5) to 13.960 62(9) Å, c from 5.658 46(3) to 5.784 83(5) Å, and V from 1051.987(8) to 1127.459(14) Å3. The Zn2+ ions adopt a fivefold distorted square pyramidal coordination. The seven-coordinate R3+ reside in monocapped trigonal prisms. These prisms share edges, and form layers stacked along the c axis. There are two types of BaO polyhedra: bicapped square prisms (BaO10), and irregular BaO10 polyhedra. For larger R, Ba5R8Zn4O21 was not stable, and tetragonal BaR2ZnO5(La, Nd) and orthorhombic BaR2ZnO5(Sm) phases were observed instead.

Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) data were collected for a new phase of SrGd2O4. Analysis using the Rietveld method was carried out and it was found that the sample crystallizes in the orthorhombic symmetry with CaFe2O4 related structure. The lattice parameters are found to be a=12.0521(2) Å, b=10.1327(2) Å, c=3.4757(4) Å and Z=4. For X-ray data RF=4.9%, RB=7.6%, RP=8.1% and χ2=1.51. The structure can be described as an assembly of bioctahedron [Gd2O10] which are linked together by O2− anions and of dodecahedron of SrO8.

Divalent metal ions are crucial as cofactors for a variety of intracellular enzymatic activities. Mg2+, as an example, mediates binding of deoxyribonucleoside 5′-triphosphates followed by their hydrolysis in the active site of DNA polymerase. It is difficult to study the binding of Mg2+ to an active site because Mg2+ is spectroscopically silent and Mg2+ binds with low affinity to the active site of an enzyme. Therefore, we substituted Mg2+ with Mn2+:Mn2+ that is not only visible spectroscopically but also provides full activity of the DNA polymerase of bacteriophage T7. In order to demonstrate that the majority of Mn2+ is bound to the enzyme, we have applied site-directed titration analysis of T7 DNA polymerase using X-ray near edge spectroscopy. Here we show how X-ray near edge spectroscopy can be used to distinguish between signal originating from Mn2+ that is free in solution and Mn2+ bound to the active site of T7 DNA polymerase. This method can be applied to other enzymes that use divalent metal ions as a cofactor.

The crystal structure of La0.67Ca0.33Mn0.80Cu0.20O3 (LCMCO) compound was determined from laboratory X-ray powder diffraction data and refined by the Rietveld method. LCMCO is isostructural with La0.67Ca0.33MnO3 (LCMO). The crystal data are: La0.64Ca0.36Mn0.82Cu0.18O3.01, Mr=843.80, orthorhombic system, space group Pnma, a=5.4364(1) Å, b=7.6725(2) Å, c=5.4452(1) Å, V=227.124(8)Å3, Z=4, Dx=6.168 g∕cm3. In comparing with the Cu-free compound, subtle structural changes such as bond lengths and bond angles found in the Cu-doped compound may be responsible for the larger effects on the transport and magnetic properties when Cu partially substitutes for Mn in CMCO.

The synthesis and X-ray powder diffraction data for the long-known CaSiF6 and CaSiF6·2H2O species are reported. Their crystal structures have been determined from laboratory powder diffraction data by simulated annealing and full-profile Rietveld refinement methods. CaSiF6·2H2O was found to crystallize in the monoclinic P21/n space group with unit-cell parameters: a = 10.48107(9), b = 9.18272(7), c = 5.72973(5) Å, β = 98.9560(6)°, V = 544.733(8) Å3, and Z = 4. The crystal structure of CaSiF6·2H2O, eventually found to be isomorphous with SrSiF6·2H2O (but not with the Mg analogue—a hexahydrate phase), contains centrosymmetric [Ca(μ-H2O)2Ca]4+ dimers, interconnected by hexafluorosilicate anions, in a dense 3D framework. The crystal structure is completed by a further water molecule, terminally bound to the Ca2+ ion, which, consequently, attains a F5O3 octacoordination. Thermodiffractometric measurements allowed the determination of the linear and volumetric thermal expansion coefficients of CaSiF6·2H2O, which showed a minor contraction, along a, on heating. CaSiF6 is trigonal, space group R-3, a = 5.3497(3), c = 13.5831(11) Å, V = 336.66(5) Å3, and Z = 3, and isomorphous with several other species of MIIAIVF6 or MIAVF6 formulation, among which several silicates, germanates, and stannates.

The current JCPDS powder pattern for the racemic compound fenoprofen calcium dihydrate (card No. 44-1790) is unindexed. Previously we reported the single crystal data, determined at −100 °C, for this material (Zhu et al., 2001). Using 2θ values obtained from a powder pattern spiked with internal standards, we indexed the room temperature powder pattern. The resulting unit cell values for the monoclinic P21/n cell are a=19.018 Å, b=7.738 Å, c=19.472 Å, β=91.66°.

This paper outlines some features of diffraction instrumental monitoring (DIM), a method which can prove helpful to evaluate systematic effects from diffraction measurements and facilitate the comparison of results. The work provides some consideration of the significance of the information contained in diffraction patterns and the ability of DIM methods to yield the effective values of instrumental parameters obtained under working conditions.

X-ray power diffraction data for CrFe3NiSn5 are reported. Indexing the XRD power pattern and Rietveld refinement shows that the compound crystallizes in the hexagonal crystal system, space group P6mm (No. 183) with lattice parameters a=5.3168(1) Å, c=4.4261(1) Å, z=0.6 and Dcalc=8.011 g cm−3. The crystal structure of CrFe3NiSn5 is of the CoSn structure type with Fe, Cr and Ni disordered in the Co position.

Methods of chemical preparation and crystallographic data are reported for two new condensed phosphates: a hydrated cyclotriphosphate with a formula MnNa4(P3O9)2 4H2O and its anhydrous form MnNa4(P3O9)2. MnNa4(P3O9)2 4H2O is monoclinic P21/a with the following unit-cell dimensions: a=8.536(2) Å, b=14.309(3) Å, c=8.508(2) Å, β=96.452(2)°, and Z=2. MnNa4(P3O9)2 is monoclinic C2/c with the following unit-cell dimensions: a=13.198(2) Å, b=8.241(1) Å, c=14.228(2) Å, β=95.045(1)°, and Z=4.