In the course of the past few years, X-ray and spectroscopic methods of analysis have found an increasing usefulness at the Dow Chemical Company. There are a large number of different types of problems on which information can be obtained by the variations of apparatus and technic which are possible in these two fields. It is not the purpose of this paper, however, to discuss these methods or applications in general, but to describe in some detail a scheme of classifying and using X-ray diffraction patterns which has been found very helpful in one particular application of X-rays — namely, that of identifying unknown substances by means of their Hull powder diffraction patterns.

The inherent power of X-ray diffraction as a practical means of chemical analysis was pointed out a good many years ago. Having a different theoretical basis and depending upon an entirely different technic than other methods, it would be expected to supplement the information to be obtained from other methods and, at times, to be applicable where other methods are not suitable. It appears, however, that the use of this method has not increased at a rate commensurate with its unique and valuable features, and that it is used by relatively few academic and industrial laboratories.

A novel approach to the determination of crystallite size and lattice strain by means of Total Pattern Analysis is described. Parameters to define the position, magnitude, breadth and shape of individual peaks are obtained by an adaptation of the pattern fitting program of Sonneveld and Visser (J. Appl. Cryst. 8, 1–7, 1975). A rapid assessment of the nature of the specimen broadening is given by a Williamson-Hall Plot. This leads to a more detailed study of line breadths by, for example, Voigt analysis applied to several orders of reflections or to single lines. Preliminary results are given for the application of this procedure to ‘size only’ and ‘size-strain’ samples of ZnO.

The following article by L. L. Wyman is reprinted from Fifty Years of Progress in Metallurgical Techniques, ASTM STP 430, 1968, contains information on the early role of ASTM Committee E-4 in the publication of the early Powder Diffraction File data cards and in the formation of the Joint Committee on Powder Diffraction Standards. In fact, Roy Wyman was probably the single most instrumental individual in obtaining the sponsorship by ASTM for the continued publication of the PDF up to 1969 when JCPDS became an independent corporation. Roy was on the Board of Directors of JCPDS from the time of its incorporation until his death in 1976. He was Treasurer of JCPDS from 1971 to 1974 and Chairman from 1974 to 1975. Committee E-4 is still active and is the Committee within ASTM which maintains Cooperative Society status with the JCPDS-ICDD.

Editor's Note: As part of our plan to reprint previously published papers of great historical interest, the editorial board is pleased to reproduce the following paper by Hanawalt, Frevel and Rinn. This paper was originally published in Volume 10 (1938) of the Analytical Ediction of “Industrial and Engineering Chemistry” and is considered by most diffractionists to be the classic work in qualitative identification of multiphase polycrystalline material. The original publication carried a foreword written by the editor of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. This foreword ended with this prophetic statement:

“There is reason to believe that this publication, which is made possible in this form by the generous financial assistance of the Dow Chemical Company, will serve to bring this method of analysis into general use in industrial and consulting analytical laboratories.”

The objectives of this paper are: 1. to up-date the manual search system and index book described in 1936 and 1938; 2. to introduce a “work form” which serves to guide the analyst through the procedural steps involved in using the manual search index book and 3. to review briefly the literature on manual search/match systems.

Two of the basic features of the 1936 design of the search index book were first, to divide the “d” range into arbitrarily sized “groups” and “subgroups” rather than using a scale of continuously decreasing “d” values, and second, to use the “d” values of the strongest lines of the diffraction pattern in order of decreasing intensity in making the entries of the standard patterns in the search index book. These two features are still the basis of the design of the 1986 Hanawalt Search Manual published by the JCPD S International Centre for Diffraction Data.

The original use of the search index book at Dow Chemical was to lead the analyst to corresponding patterns among the thousands of Debye films which had been produced and placed on file. The “d” values and intensities of only the three or four strongest lines of the pattern were measured. Comparisons and indentifications were then made visually simply by holding the concerned films together in juxtaposition. Unfortunately, attempts to reproduce usable copies of such Debye films for general reference have not been satisfactory. Therefore, for general usage the diffraction data carried by the film negative or also the data from a diffractometer trace are recorded using the numerical values of the “d” spacings and intensities. These tables of numerical data are then used to represent the diffraction patterns. The search index book for general usage must therefore deal entirely with these numerical values.

A conventional semi-automated powder X-ray diffractometer that was previously equipped with a strip chart recorder for data acquisition has been interfaced to an HP 1000 minicomputer via an analog-to-digital converter. Data acquisition and analysis is now accomplished using CALS chromatographic software and two in-house-developed FORTRAN 77 computer programs. This has resulted in significant improvements in experimental repeatability and accuracy, decreased sample turn-around times, and rapid and facile analysis, manipulation, and comparison of crystallographic data.

Standard Reference Materials (SRM) are stable materials which have one or more properties certified by the National Bureau of Standards. A general introduction is given to the types of SRM's and their certification. SRM's for X-ray diffraction are described in detail, including their intended use and their certified and other properties. New SRM's are under consideration as quantitative standards, intensity and line shape standards, and materials properties standards.

Although there is mounting interest in the measurement of stresses in composite materials after fabrication and/or use, few measurements to date have not taken into account the three dimensional nature of the stress system in such materials. Most data give only the net stress, that is, the difference between principal stresses. A procedure for a more complete measurement (in a reasonable time) is developed here, including the separation of macrostresses and microstresses. If time does not permit a full investigation, measurements of the lattice parameters of the component phases provide a simple way to sample the hydrostatic component due to differential thermal contraction. The Barrett-Predecki method of adding filler is particularly promising for stress measurements in those composites whose component phases do not give appropriate diffraction peaks. This procedure could also be used for monitoring stresses during the useful life of such materials.

A unique file structure and search algorithm have been developed for the purpose of obtaining matches between experimental electron diffraction and qualitative energy dispersive X-ray compositional data from an unknown crystalline phase and the reference data in the JCPDS Powder Diffraction File. The reference data for over 32,000 inorganic compounds from sets 1–33 were compressed and stored in binary format as bit pattern maps. The entire data set and searching programs require less than 4 Mbyte and retain the precision appropriate for electron diffraction analysis. The search algorithm, written in both RT-11 FORTRAN and Flextran, is based on pattern matching between bit maps obtained for the unknown and reference compounds for both composition and diffraction data. Special attention is given to double diffraction effects commonly encountered in electron diffraction analysis. The programs run on an interactive basis on a microcomputer dedicated to the X-ray energy dispersive spectrometer on an analytical electron microscope. A typical search takes about 15 seconds to run and extracts about 10–15 different compounds.

Internal elastic strain (i.e., residual stress) and the diffracted X-ray intensity variation over several orientations of crystallites with respect to the specimen surface were investigated as a means of differentiating two qualities of polycrystalline nickel plating. A unique instrument based upon a position-sensitive scintillation X-ray detector was used to apply all of the techniques commonly applied to X-ray stress analysis in this investigation. It was concluded that residual stress measurements did not provide a clear distinction between the two specimens, but comparison of the relative intensities diffracted from crystallographic planes at certain orientations with the surface did provide a distinction.

An X-ray powder diffraction analysis has been performed on several samples from the naturally occuring patina of the Statue of Liberty. This work, which was conducted as a service to the National Park Service as part of the restoration activities for the Statue, was performed to assess the impact of acid deposition on the phase composition of the patina. Samples of the patina that were obtained from various locations on the copper skin of the Statue were found to consist primarily of the basic copper sulfate known as brochantite or CuSO4·3Cu(OH)2. Another less stable form of basic copper sulfate CuSO4·2Cu(OH)2 known as antlerite was also observed in samples taken from areas that are more exposed to the incoming weather in New York harbor. The presence of antlerite supports the contention that acid deposition is promoting undesirable changes in the phase composition of the patina. Analyses were also performed on patina samples that were taken from pieces of the Statue's copper skin that had been removed in the years 1905 and 1980. X-ray powder diffraction of the corrosion product on the 1905 sample showed that it consisted primarily of the stable brochantite phase, while the 1980 sample displayed both copper chlorides as well as the less stable antlerite. Both samples also contained cuprite (Cu2O) which appears to have formed prior to either of the sulfates.

I have made use of X-ray powder diffraction patterns for over sixty years. In the summer of 1922, in anticipation of my becoming a graduate student in chemistry, I read the book “X-Rays and Crystal Structure,” by W. H. and W. L. Bragg. Then in September 1922 I arrived in Pasadena, and immediately began to learn how to determine the structure of a crystal by a study of the X-ray diffraction pattern from Roscoe Gilkey Dickinson, who was the first person to have received a Ph.D. degree from the California Institute of Technology (1920). The procedure in use in Pasadena started with the preparation of a photograph showing lines obtained by Bragg reflection from a developed face of a large crystal with monochromatic radiation, usually molybdenum K alpha and beta. Measurement of the angle of reflection gave a set of possible values for the length of the edges of the unit of structure, usually of a cubic, hexagonal, or tetragonal crystal, since the methods were not powerful enough to permit the evaluation of more than two or three parameters. The next step was the preparation of Laue photographs, and their analysis. This was a powerful method, which often led to the correct structures.

A new, convenient program has been designed and implemented on a VAX computer to facilitate the use of the Johnson/Vand program (Version 21) for identifying components in crystalline mixtures by X-ray diffraction. (The data base of references is distributed solely by the JCPDS – International Centre for Diffraction Data.) This new program uses an easy-to-follow conversational mode of communication for setting up the input file for the identification program from a remote terminal. The program is menu driven with screens for input of sample information, for change of default computational parameters, and for handling the experimental diffraction data. Many of the input screens can be readily bypassed when the default parameters are acceptable. An editor feature is provided for viewing the final input file and for correcting the diffraction data.

A simple, practical search/match program, RIFRAN 85, has been written and implemented for the EMG 666B programmable calculator. The computer programs are written in EMG Assembler, which is identical to the assembler language for the Hewlett-Packard 9821 calculator. The EMG 666B is made in Hungary and has 8 kbytes of operational memory. The programs interactively provide qualitative phase analysis of X-ray powder diffraction patterns using standard files collected from published data and stored on a compact magnetic tape cassette. Each standard pattern can comprise up to 35 two-theta — intensity pairs. The identification procedure is based on the comparison of the diffraction data of the standard and of the unknown within limits imposed by user-established match and chemical criteria. This paper describes the algorithm used and the performance of the RIFRAN 85 identification system. The system's operation is illustrated using an example of phase analysis of a mineral sample.

A method is presented for correction of integrated X-ray intensities for preferred orientation of crystallites in a spinning specimen. It is based upon direct integration of the data obtainable from pole distribution of a single crystallographic plane. This pole distribution can be determined from measurements on a texture goniometer or, in special cases, from an ω-scan or from intensities of all reflections measured on a powder diffractometer only. The method was tested on four samples of magnesium and magnesium cadmium alloys and applied to hexagonal BN and α-Ti(N) surface layers. The method was developed with regard to application in phase analysis and thin film studies.

Most modern X-ray powder diffraction work is carried out using the parafocusing powder diffractometer. The typical instrument employs a mechanical goniometer to control the basic geometric movements required for recording diffraction data. Modern trends toward high speed data acquisition and computerized analytical procedures make the need for a well designed and well maintained goniometer system increasingly critical. This paper reviews the mechanical design parameters of typical goniometer systems in light of their influence on the accuracy and precision obtainable in diffraction data. Data on typical vertical and horizontal goniometer systems are compared, along with bench tests using a state of the art “anti-backlash” gearing system. By examining the nature of the errors typically encountered in today's goniometers it becomes evident why the next major improvement will likely be in software rather than hardware.

Although forensic science is regarded with a certain amount of fascination and admiration by the general public, to the practising forensic scientist it is often associated with painstaking and frustrating examinations.

This is particularly so in the most traditional area of forensic science, namely that of contact evidence where the identification and comparison of minute samples may provide an important clue for the investigator and assist in the conviction or exoneration of an accused person.

Contact evidence may include hairs and other fibres, paint samples, glass fragments, stains, soils and other deposits. Modern instrumentation such as infra-red spectrophotometry, gas chromatography, atomic absorption spectroscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis now allows a relatively simple identification of the composition of these materials. However, these techniques are not necessarily directed towards the absolute determination of structure of materials and this is particularly so in the case of crystalline materials of forensic interest such as soil, mortar, brick dust and paint fillers. Although the techniques previously mentioned provide the basis of an elemental analysis this may not be of much assistance in a forensic approach where chemical structure is the basis of a scentific comparison.

Highly uniform fine powder sample layers may be prepared for X-ray diffractometry by aerosol suspension and collection on glass fiber filter substrates. A tubular aerosol suspension chamber (TASC) has been fabricated for this purpose. Essential components include a 500 ml gas buret, 4.7-cm filter cassette, rotameter, and rotary pump. Aerosol particles are generated within the TASC buret by convection within a fluidized bed of glass beads mixed with the sample. Exceptional uniformity of load and randomness of particle orientation has been demonstrated for samples prepared with this system. For quantitative analytical work accurate intensities may be obtained using corrections to raw intensities based on fundamental sample and filter properties.

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.

The indexed X-ray diffraction powder data of trans-bis(dimethylphenylphosphine)bis(pyrazole)platinum, {Pt(C3H4N2)2[P(CH3)2(C6H5)]2, PTPP} and trans-(tricyclohexylphosphino) (triethylphosphino) platinum(II) chloride, (PtCl2P2C24H48, PTHE) are reported. PTPP crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2/c and PTHE crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pcab. The refined cell parameters were determined by employing a Siemens Debye-Scherrer camera (Fe radiation, λmean = 1.93736 Å). The cell constants are a = 21.516(5), b = 6.287(1), c = 17.929(4)Å, β = 102.51(1)°, V = 2367.7Å3 Dx=1.70Mg m−3, Dm = 1.70Mg m−3 for PTPP and a = 12.271(1), b = 19.375(1), c = 23.864(3)Å, V = 5673.4Å3, Dx = 1.553Mg m−3 for PTHE. The quantitative figures of merit (FN) are F23 = 47(0.010,51) [F20 = 60(0.009,35)] for PTPP and F30 = 12(0.008,324) [F20 = 27(0.017,105)] for PTHE. The JCPD S Diffraction File No. for PTPP is 37-1999 and for PTHE is 37-2000.