Crystal structures of types II and III chlorothalonil, 2,4,5,6-tetrachloro-1,3-dicyanobenzene, (C8Cl4N2) were solved by applying Monte Carlo simulated annealing techniques to X-ray powder diffraction data and refined using the Rietveld method. Both types of chlorothalonil crystallize in monoclinic symmetry (space group P21 and two molecules per unit cell). Lattice parameters are: a=8.1615(18) Å, b=9.4191(19) Å, c=6.4728(14) Å, β=93.7307(64)° and V=497.8 Å3 for type II, and a=8.6003(10) Å, b=9.2382(11) Å, c=6.3024(7) Å, β=96.2152(60)° and V=498.5 Å3 for type III. The structures of both types of chlorothalonil are stacked by two coplanar molecular sheets paralleled to the b-axis. The adjacent two paralleled molecules in type II are on the same plane, while those in type III are on two different parallel planes.

The structures of γ- and δ-K4P2O7 are solved by X-ray powder diffraction (conventional laboratory X-ray and synchrotron data, respectively), both in hexagonal symmetry (aγ = 5.9645(3) Å, cγ = 14.4972(8) Å, Vγ = 446.64(4) Å3 at 300 °C, Zγ = 2, space group P63/mmc; aδ = 10.211 45(7) Å, cδ = 42.6958(4) Å, Vδ = 3855.59(7) Å3 at room temperature, Zδ = 18, space group P61) with cell–supercell relations $a_\delta \approx a_\gamma \sqrt{3}$ and cδ ≈ 3 cγ. In the experimental conditions, the expected β/γ transition previously announced at 486 °C is not observed; the γ-form is stable at least up to the maximum temperature of our measurements (700 °C). In the γ-form, similar to the orthorhombic form of Na4P2O7, idealized, the pyrophosphate group is in eclipsed conformation, the K+ cations occupying three different coordinations. In the δδ-form, two of the three different [P2O7]4− groups are staggered and one eclipsed, the K+ cations occupying 12 independent sites.

Mirabegron, (C21H24N4O2S), is a β3-adrenoceptor agonist approved in Japan, the USA, Canada and Europe, for the treatment of overactive bladder symptoms. There are no entries for this important active pharmaceutical ingredient in the Cambridge Structural Database or the Powder Diffraction File-4/Organics database. In this contribution, the powder diffraction pattern of Mirabegron, an unreported phase, are presented with a study by spectroscopy methods (Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy [FT-IR] and RAMAN) and thermal analysis (thermogravimetric analysis [TGA]-differential scanning calorimetry [DSC]).

A series of double-perovskite oxides, Sr2RNbO6 (R = Sm, Gd, Dy, Ho, Y, Tm, and Lu) were prepared and their crystal structure and powder diffraction reference patterns were determined using the Rietveld analysis technique. The crystal structure of each of the Sr2RNbO6 phase is reported in this paper. The R = Gd, Ho, and Lu samples were studied using synchrotron radiation, while R = Sm, Dy, Y, and Tm samples were studied using laboratory X-ray diffraction. Members of Sr2RNbO6 are monoclinic with a space group of P21/n and are isostructural with each other. Following the trend of “lanthanide contraction”, from R = Sm to Lu, the lattice parameters “a” of these compounds decreases from 5.84672(10) to 5.78100(3) Å, b from 5.93192(13) to 5.80977(3) Å, c from 8.3142(2) to 8.18957(5) Å, and V decreases from 288.355(11) to 275.057(2) Å3. In this double-perovskite series, the R3+ and Nb5+ ions are structurally ordered. The average Nb–O bond length is nearly constant, while the average R–O bond length decreases with the decreasing ionic radius of R3+. Powder diffraction patterns for these compounds have been submitted to the Powder Diffraction File (PDF).

In this investigation we have examined how the full width at half maximum intensity (FWHM) and asymmetry of x-ray powder diffraction line profiles are influenced by the instrumental conditions adopted. Experimental x-ray data has been collected for a matrix of instrumental conditions by systematically varying the divergence slit angle (and the corresponding anti-scatter slit) over the range 0.25° to 1.25°, by using either a 0.05mm or 0.2mm receiving slit, or by removing the diffracted beam Soller slit. The line profile Standard Reference Material, SRM, 660 (LaB6) was used as the powder specimen in that it imparts minimal specimen induced broadening to the diffraction profiles. X-ray data were collected on a conventional, divergent beam, x-ray diffractometer using CuKα radiation.

The FWHM of the CuKα1 component can be as low as 0.035°2θ for high resolution conditions, but is normally ∼0.1°2θ at 2θ ≈ 30° for the instrumental conditions adopted in routine diffractometry. Below 2θ = 50°, the divergence slit has a significant effect on the FWHM and is the major cause of the increase in FWHM with decreasing 2θ. Results are presented of the 2θ dependence of FWHM values for each of the instrumental conditions recorded. A general relationship for the 2θ dependence of the FWHM and the asymmetry has been investigated to supersede the inappropriate Cagliotti expression frequently used in x-ray Rietvcld refinement.

A new approach to fundamental parameter calculations has been devised which makes use of incoherent and coherent backscatter intensities from the excitation radiation. The backscatter results from all sample constituents, and thus provides information on total sample mass as well as on bulk sample composition. By appropriately using the scatter intensities in fundamental parameter matrix calculations, accurate analyses of “unknown“ samples can be obtained without prior knowledge of the sample matrix. The backscatter with fundamental parameter (BFP) method is especially advantageous for biological, geological and environmental samples because of their bulk quantities of carbon, oxygen, and other light elements which cannot be explicitly determined for traditional fundamental parameter calculations.

The residual stress left on the fracture surface is one of the important parameters in X-ray fractography. It has been used to analyze fracture mechanisms in fracture toughness and fatigue tests especially of iron and steels.

In the present paper, X-ray fractography was applied to the brittle fracture surface of a silicon nitride ceramics. The first part deals with the determination of the stress constant for diffraction from Si3N4(411) plane by Cr-Kα radiation. The second part describes the effect of the notch-tip radius on the fracture toughness value. In the last part, the plastic zone depth was determined from the residual stress destribution beneath the fracture surface.

The Nd1.7Ba0.3Ni0.9Cr0.1O4+δ polycrystalline sample was synthesized by the sol–gel process and a subsequent annealing at 1523 K in 1 atm of flowing argon. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and electrical transport properties have been investigated as well. The oxygen non-stoichiometry was determined by iodometric titration. The sample shows adoption of the K2NiF4-type structure based on a tolerance factor calculation. Rietveld refinement of the crystal structure from X-ray powder diffraction data confirmed that Nd1.7Ba0.3Ni0.9Cr0.1O4+δ adopts the tetragonal structure (space group I4/mmm, Z = 2). The room temperature unit-cell parameters are determined to be a = 3.82515(2) and c = 12.47528(6) Å. The reliability factors are: RB = 0.043, Rwp = 0.012 and χ2 = 3.00. The Nd1.7Ba0.3Ni0.9Cr0.1O4+δ compound exhibits a semi-conductive behaviour. The electrical transport mechanism has been investigated and it agrees with the adiabatic small polaron hopping model in the temperature range 313 K ≤ T ≤ 708 K.

The aim of this work was to compare different excitation modes for the analysis of light elements from carbon (Z = 6) upwards using a total reflection X-ray fluorescence analysis (TXRF) vacuum chamber which allows the attachment of different X-ray tubes and detectors. In the first set of experiments, two water-cooled high-power X-ray tubes with Cr (Z = 25) and Cu (Z = 29) anodes, respectively, were compared with an air-cooled low-power tube with Mo anode (Z = 42) and a thin Be window for the transmission of Mo-L lines. In the first two cases, monochromatic Kα radiation was used for excitation, while in the case of the Mo tube the multilayer acted as a cut-off reflector and part of the Mo bremsstrahlung continuum together with the Mo-L series were used for excitation. Multi-element standards containing elements ranging from Na (Z = 11) to Ti (Z = 22) were analyzed by a silicon drift detector (SDD) with a 300 nm ultrathin polymer window (UTW). Detection limits were calculated and compared for the three excitation modes. The second set of experiments was performed using an air-cooled low-power X-ray tube with Rh anode (Z = 45) in order to show that a conventional SDD with a 25 μm beryllium window can be used for the detection of elements from Na upwards. The use of compact air-cooled low-power X-ray tubes together with Peltier-cooled SDDs with UTW should lead to the development of highly sensitive tabletop vacuum TXRF spectrometers with a design optimized for the analysis of light elements. Detection limits as achieved by vacuum chambers using conventional water-cooled high-power tubes (e.g. Streli et al., 2004) are realistically achievable with the new approach.

The synthesis, thermal behavior, crystallographic and X-ray powder diffraction data, and infrared spectral data for Ca8ZnSi4O16Cl2 have been determined. This compound is cubic with isolated silicate tetrahedra.

A program is presented that removes broadening from X-ray diffraction spectra. An instrumental spectrum can be used to describe empirically the broadening to be removed, or a Gaussian, Cauchy, or Pearson-VII distribution can be used to analytically describe it. In either case, singlet or doublet forms can be generated. The program returns the deconvoluted spectrum, the reconstructed spectrum, and a sum-of-squares difference between the original and reconstructed spectra. Deconvolution is accomplished using a combination of least-squares, background, and smoothing criteria that minimizes the effect of random counting errors.

The X-ray powder diffraction data for δ-Na2Si2O5 are reported. The sample was prepared from water glass solution applied to pressed powder tablets of finely ground quartz using a heating program with a maximal temperature of 700 °C. The crystallographic data for δ-disilicate obtained from a Rietveld analysis are: space group P21/n, a=8.3818(4) Å, b=12.0726(5) Å, c=4.8455(2) Å, β=90.303(5)°, V=490.31 Å3, Z=4, and Dcalc.=2.468 g/cm3.

The Powder Diffraction File of crystallographic data has been converted from printed data cards to a computer database. Extensive testing, review, and editing of the database were completed, the history and first stages of which are presented. Computer programs used to create and analyze the database are described.

The compound Ba4Eu3F17 was prepared by heating pre-dried BaF2 and EuF3 (4:3) at 800 °C for 8 h in static vacuum. The colorless polycrystalline product obtained was characterized by Rietveld refinement of the observed powder diffraction data with a starting model of Ba4Y3F17. The title compound Ba4Eu3F17 crystallizes in rhombohedral lattice with lattice parameters, a=11.1787(4) and c=20.5789(10) Å, Z=3 (Space group R 3, No. 148). The Ba4Eu3F17 structure can be described as an ordered anion-rich fluorite type structure with the formation of Eu6F37 clusters. There are two crystallographically distinct Ba (CN=10, 11) and one distinct Eu (CN=8). The typical Ba(1)–F, Ba(2)–F, and Eu–F bond lengths range from 2.56 to 2.83 Å, 2.54 to 3.25 Å, and 2.24 to 2.49 Å, respectively. The salient feature of the structure is that the EuF8 polyhedra share their corner to form a cubo-octahedron of fluoride ions. The cubic BaF8 polyhedra of BaF2 are modified to Ba(1)–F10 and Ba(2)–F11 polyhedra in this structure. The cubo-octahedron encloses extra fluorine F(8) inside it.

All known occurrences of nickelphosphide (Ni,Fe)3P—a mineral encountered mainly in meteoritic irons—represent relatively small grains, which prevents acquiring powder data of a reasonable quality. Synthetic analogues of this mineral, corresponding chemically to that found in the meteorite Vicenice, have been synthesized. Powder data collected using a standard laboratory diffractometer in the Bragg–Brentano geometry are presented. The space group of nickelphosphide is identical to that of schreibersite (Fe,Ni,Co)3P and synthetic Ni3P—I4. The unit-cell dimensions refined from the powder data are a=9.0168(1) Å, c=4.4501(1) Å, and V=361.80(1) Å3, with Z=8.

The Lorenz-polarization (LP) factor, which is used for X-ray intensity calculations from polycrystalline materials, contains a term that describes the fraction of diffracting grains in the irradiated sample volume. We present extensions of this term and a series of experiments that tests its applicability. The implications of the analysis on microbeam diffraction are also discussed.

A novel synthesis method of fibrillar trimolybdates with the use of Ag2Mo3O10∙2H2O as a precursor has been used successfully to synthesize methylammonium trimolybdate, (CH3NH3)2Mo3O10∙H2O. The crystal structure of this compound was determined by X-ray powder diffraction method and refined by the Rietveld method. The compound is orthorhombic, space group Pnma (62), with a=11.241(3), b=7.585(1), and c=15.516(4) Å. The redetermined crystal structure of the precursor and the structure of the title compound are compared and discussed.

The structure of [Pd(NH3)4]Cr2O7 has been determined ab initio from conventional X-Ray powder diffraction data by the Patterson method. The cell is monoclinic (space group P21/c, Z = 4), with a = 7.771(3) Å, b=11.578(1) Å, c=11.852(4) Å, and β= 105.50(4)°. Refinements of 57 parameters by the Rietveld method, using 852 reflections lead to RB = 0.032, RP = 0.075, and Rwp = 0.092. The structure is built up from PdN4 square planes linked to Cr2O7 groups by hydrogen bonds. Hydrogen atoms could not be located.

Bragg–Brentano X-ray powder diffractometry data and refined unit cell parameters are reported for a synthetic sample of dolerophanite, copper (II) oxysulphate [Cu2O(SO4)], prepared by heating AR copper (II) sulphate anhydrate in a muffle furnace at 725 °C. The data are compared with (i) two Debye–Scherrer patterns published by Mrose [Am. Mineral. 6, 146–153 (1961)]—for a synthetic sample and for a natural dolerophanite, the latter being pattern 13–189 in the ICDD Powder Diffraction File and (ii) a Debye–Scherrer pattern for a synthetic dolerophanite described by Borchardt and Daniels [J. Phys. Chem. 61, 917–921 (1957)]. A calculated pattern is also presented for the crystal structure of dolerophanite described by Effenberger [Monatschefte fur Chemie. 116, 927–931 (1985)]. The measured and calculated patterns reported here show reasonable internal consistency for both line positions and intensity data. While the agreement between these results and the data sets of Mrose is sound in terms of line positions, there is substantial disagreement overall between the intensity values given by the authors and those of Mrose. There is closer agreement between the intensities from the current study and those of Borchardt and Daniels.

The subsolidus phase relations in the ternary system La2O3–Bi2O3–CuO at 900 °C were investigated by X-ray powder diffraction. A new binary compound, Bi2La4O9, was found, as well as a binary and a ternary solid solution series, Bi1−xLaxO1.5 (0.16≤x≤0.33) and La2−xBixCuO4 (0≤x≤0.11), respectively.