Gemstones are pieces of materials that once cut and polished are used as jewels or adornments. Gemstones may be single crystal (such as diamonds), polycrystalline (such as lapis lazuli), or amorphous (such as amber). In any case, gems may have inclusions that may yield a variety of optic effects. It is also important to unravel the crystal structure of the inclusion(s) in order to determine the origin of the gem and to help to understand their formation mechanism. Here, we expand the use of powder diffraction to identify crystalline inclusions in bulk gemstones highlighting Mo Kα radiation to penetrate within compact gems. Initially, rock crystal quartz with rutile needles was investigated and rutile diffraction peaks were more conspicuous in the Mo pattern than in the Cu pattern. Next, rock crystal quartz with beetle legs was characterized and the red iron oxide inclusion was identified as hematite. The study of a fake gem, glass showing aventurine effect, gave the diffraction peaks of metallic copper. Later, polycrystalline gems, moss agate, and aventurine quartz were also studied. The powder patterns of these compact gemstones could be successfully fitted using the Rietveld method. Finally, we discuss opportunities for further improvements in laboratory powder diffraction to characterize inclusions in compact gems.

In an effort to better understand the structural changes occurring during hydrogen loading of erbium target materials, we have performed in situ D2 loading of erbium metal (powder) at temperature (450°C) with simultaneous neutron diffraction analysis. This experiment tracked the conversion of Er metal to the α erbium deuteride (solid-solution) phase and then into the β (fluorite) phase. Complete conversion to ErD2.0 was accomplished at 10 Torr D2 pressure with deuterium fully occupying the tetrahedral sites in the fluorite lattice.

Two new bimetallic and trimetallic compounds (NH4)1.5Ni2V2O7(OH)1.5 · H2O and (NH4)1.5Cu1.125 Ni1.125V2O7(OH)2 · H2O were synthesized by hydrothermal method and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and X-Ray fluorescence (XRF). Crystallographic studies showed that both compounds are hexagonal with space group P-62c.

Ca3−xSrxCo4O9 with different compositions (x=0, 0.15, 0.3, and 0.45) were synthesized from stoichiometric mixtures of Co3O4, CaCO3, and SrCO3, and their unit-cell parameters were determined. The powders were mixed with silicon standard powder, and XRD patterns were collected and analyzed using TOPAS. The compounds were determined to be monoclinic with space group of P2. Unit-cell parameters changed from a=4.8329(3) Å, b=4.5727(1) Å, c=10.8360(4) Å, and β=98.093(7)° when x=0, to a=4.8432(1) Å, b=4.6100(3) Å, c=10.8668(3) Å, and β=98.110(5)° when x=0.3. An unidentified second phase was observed when x=0.45.

The 6,8-dimethyl-cis-2-vinyl-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-benzo[b]azepin-4-ol (2a) (Chemical formula C14H19NO) and 8-chloro-9-methyl-cis-2-(prop-1-en-2-yl)-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-benzo[b]azepin-4-ol (2b) (Chemical formula C14H18ClNO) were prepared via the reductive cleavage of the bridged N-O bond of the corresponding 1,4-epoxytetrahydro-1-benzazepines. The X-ray powder diffraction patterns for the new compounds were obtained. The compound 2a was found to crystallize in an orthorhombic system with space group Pmn21 (No. 31), refined unit-cell parameters a = 19.422(6) Å, b = 6.512(3) Å, c = 9.757(4) Å and V = 1234.0(5) Å3. The compound 2b was found to crystallize in a monoclinic system with space group P21/m (No. 11), refined unit-cell parameters a = 17.570(4) Å, b = 8.952(3) Å, c = 14.985(4) Å, β = 101.66(2)°, and V = 2308.3(9) Å3.

New salts of barium with dicarboxylic acids (glutaric, adipic, pimelic, suberic, sebacic, and dodecanedioic) were synthesized and characterized by powder diffraction techniques. In addition to the basic crystallographic data and chemical analyses of barium glutarate hexahydrate {1}, barium adipate {2}, barium pimelate {3}, barium disuberate {4}, barium sebacate {5}, and barium dodecanedioate {6}, the processes of their thermal decomposition were investigated by XRPD. All the compounds decompose to barium carbonate at temperatures between 400 and 500 °C.

Three polyureas with decreasing soft segment molecular weights of 1000, 650, and a 250/1000 blend were molded onto circular steel plates and then impacted with a high speed (275 m/s) conical-shaped steel cylinder. The polyurea layer of the post mortem bilayers was characterized on a molecular level by small angle synchrotron X-ray scattering (SAXS) at the Advanced Photon Source at the Argonne National Laboratory. Analysis revealed that the hard domains of the polyureas with lower molecular weight soft segments reformed and oriented over a greater area of the coating, thus increasing the polymer strain hardening and resulting in visibly less out of plane bilayer deformation. This agrees with the hypothesis that polymer strain hardening is a mechanism that retards necking failure of the metal plate.

The 7-methyl-cis-2-(1’-naphthyl)-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-benzo[b]azepin-4-ol (chemical formula C21H21NO) was prepared via the reductive cleavage of the bridged N-O bond of the corresponding 7-methyl-2-exo-(1′-naphthyl)-1,4-epoxytetrahydro-1-benzazepine. The X-ray powder diffraction pattern for the new compound was analyzed and found that the title compound crystallizes in a monoclinic system with space group P2/c (No. 13) and refined unit-cell parameters a = 11.012(2), b = 18.613(5), c = 7.316(4) Å, β = 102.88(3) ° and V = 1461.8(7) Å3.

Powder diffraction data are presented for two compounds of forensic importance: benzocaine hydrochloride and a monoclinic polymorph of benzocaine base. Data were collected at room temperature using nickel-filtered Cu Kα radiation.

This report describes SRM 660b, the third generation of this powder diffraction SRM used primarily for determination of the instrument profile function (IPF). It is certified with respect to unit-cell parameter. It consists of approximately 6 g LaB6 powder prepared using a 11B isotopically enriched precursor material so as to render the SRM applicable to the neutron diffraction community. The microstructure of the LaB6 powder was engineered to produce a crystallite size above that where size broadening is typically observed and to minimize the crystallographic defects that lead to strain broadening. A NIST -built diffractometer, incorporating many advanced design features, was used to certify the unit-cell parameter of the LaB6 powder. Both type A, statistical, and type B, systematic, errors have been assigned to yield a certified value for the unit-cell parameter of a=0.415691(8) nm at 22.5°C.

X-ray powder diffraction data, unit-cell parameters, and space group for a new succinylcholine iodide polymorph II, C14H30O4N2I2, are reported [a=13.908(3) Å, b=13.184(3) Å, c=11.717(2) Å, β=92.501(3)°, unit-cell volume V=2146,28 Å3, Z=4, space group P21/c]. All measured lines with the exception of one were indexed and are consistent with the P21/c space group. No detectable impurities were observed.

X-ray powder diffraction data, unit cell parameters, and space group for a new platinum-based anticancer complex cis-[bis(acetonitrile)]-[(1R,2R)-1,2-diaminocyclohexane-κN, κN′]platinum (II)nitrate (1:2) monohydrate, cis-[Pt(C2H3N)2(C6H14N2)](NO3)2·H2O, are presented [a=12.638(3) Å, b=12.153(2) Å, c=11.881(3) Å, β=95.145(4)°, space group P21, cell volume=1817.5 Å3, and Z=4]. All measured lines were indexed and are consistent with the P21 space group. No detectable impurities were observed.

Ternary Al–Ni–Pt phase isostructural to Al28Ir9 was revealed at the Al74Ni7.2Pt18.8 composition. Its powder diffraction pattern was indexed for the space group P31c (No. 159) and lattice parameters a=12.095(8) and c= 26.922(17) Å.

Ternary Al-Cu-W alloys were investigated. The previously reported Al3Ti-type phase (space group I4/mmm) with the average composition Al67Cu11.5W21.5 was found to have a=3.7296(4) Å and c=8.3797(10) Å. The ternary phase forming around Al67Cu21W12 has a hexagonal structure with a=8.6594(13) Å and c=15.2677(21) Å.

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.

Results on using X-ray optics with a monocapillary attached to a microfocus Mo X-ray tube for a high-intensity XRF analysis are reported. Au-coated glass monocapillaries with 400 and 700 μm inner diameters were used to obtain focused and intensive incident Mo X-rays for the measurements of XRF intensities from pure metal samples. Intensity enhancements obtained by using the Au-coated monocapillaries were found to be up to 1.5 times higher than those obtained by using similar inner diameter uncoated glass capillaries. The XRF intensity profiles were measured by the wire scanning method to investigate the reasons. The traces of the incident X-rays were calculated by taking into account of X-ray total reflection of the incident X-rays from the inner wall of the capillaries. The calculated XRF intensity profiles agree with those of the measured XRF intensity profiles. The observed enhancements in XRF intensity were the results of the incident X-rays emitted from the Mo X-ray tube being totally reflected on the inner wall of the Au-coated monocapillaries.

The 1-[N-(methyl)-(3,5-dimethylphenylamino)]methylnaphthalene (chemical formula C20H21N) was prepared by means of a condensation between alpha-naphthylaldehyde and 3,5-dimethylaniline in anhydrous ethanol to obtain the aldimine (1) which was reduced with NaBH4 to afford the 1-[N-(3,5-dimethylphenylamino)]methylnaphtalene (2), and finally, the compound (3) was obtained by N-alkylation reaction of (2) with methyl iodine (CH3I) and potassium carbonate (K2CO3) in acetone. Final compound (3) was purified by chromatographic column. The XRPD pattern for the new compound, 1-[N-(methyl)-(3,5-dimethylphenylamino)]methylnaphthalene, was obtained. This compound crystallizes in monoclinic system with space group P21/a (No. 14) and refined unit-cell parameters a=13.260(4) Å, b=15.495(5) Å, c=7.719(5) Å, β=90.19(6), and V=1586(1) Å3.