High Intensity High Sensitivity X-ray Diffaction

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X-ray diffraction is the method of choice for characterisation of the structure of molecules. The best data are obtained from single crystals of the molecules. Modern chemistry is producing molecules that are ever more elaborate, larger and more complex, and this creates significant problems for X-ray diffraction. Crystals tend to be smaller than for simpler molecules, and diffraction can be weaker due to disorder and defects in the molecular structure, and thus structure analysis and solution by powder X-ray diffraction is now becoming essential. To deal with this problem scientists have been using very intense X-radiation obtained from synchrotron sources. This requires transport of samples to a Central Facility, and since there is only one such suitable synchrotron in the UK access is inevitably very limited. However, very recently very high intensity X-ray sources have become available that can be used in a university laboratory. Equally important, developments in detector technology mean that more information can be obtained from an X-ray source of a given intensity. This proposal is to purchase the most up-to-date combination of X-ray source and detector system, thus providing an instrument that will rival the performance of synchrotrons and be unique in Europe. This will allow us to pursue world-leading science in areas such as molecular machines, metal-organic framework materials for substrate storage, separation and conversion, magnetic materials, organic chemistry and catalysis. The chemistry of radioactive elements such as neptunium and plutonium using high intensity radiation will also be investigated; such studies are impossible at a central facility.