EPSRC National Crystallographic Service
Now at Diamond Light Source I19
Background
A significant proportion of crystalline samples are unsuitable for analysis by standard laboratory equipment, for reasons such as small crystal size or weak scattering. As such, synchrotron radiation provides an invaluable route to the collection of single crystal X-ray diffraction data on such samples, as this provides a source of X-rays at intensities considerably greater than those produced by laboratory sources.
As an extension of the National Crystallographic Service at Southampton, funding by the EPSRC to Newcastle University provided access to the single-crystal diffraction station 9.8 at the SRS facility in Daresbury until July 2008, when the facility closed.
The service is about to resume at station I19 at the Diamond light source. With an even more intense source of X-rays we should be able to study samples even less amenable to study by local departments or even by the advanced facilities available at Southampton. As with the Southampton service, either data collection or a full structural characterisation is provided.
More information about I19 can be found here
PUBLICATIONS
Thus far, data collections carried out using the synchrotron service have led to 30 publications in a range of peer-reviewed journals. A list of these can be viewed here (pdf).
ANNUAL REPORT
The Cross Service Panel Report (CSPR) and panel review of the EPSRC National Crystallography Service can be found by clicking on the following link
Access to the service
Applications to this new service should be made through the national service at Southampton; this includes a printable application form. All academics eligible for funding through the EPSRC chemistry programme may apply for an allocation.
Our next scheduled visits to SRS Daresbury 9.8:
27th-28th May 2009
8th July 2009
Right: Example of a structure (including freely refined H atoms) determined from a 30 micron microcrystal (a coarse powder grain) in a commercial sample of tetracycline hydrochloride. This requires the Chime plugin.
