Application by the School of Chemistry and the School of Pharmacy, University of East Anglia, for enhanced single-crystal X-ray diffraction facilities

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We are requesting resources under the Strategic Equipment Process for a dual-probe single-crystal X-ray diffraction system to underpin a broad range of research and development programmes in molecular sciences in Eastern England and to establish this facility as a regional centre. The determination of molecular structure by single-crystal X-ray diffraction is a key analytical technique, unrivalled in the information it provides about constitution, chemical bonding, stereochemistry, intra- and intermolecular interactions and phase changes of solid compounds. It is also often the cheapest form of precision analysis. This proposal seeks to take advantage of the technological step-changes in crystallography in the last 15 years to provide a new system capable of generating structural information on a wide range of compounds, from small molecule crystals to bio materials. This new facility will offer much improved capability, well beyond simply replacing the existing outdated equipment that has become economically unsustainable. It will be able to handle much smaller crystals and acquire data much faster, enabling us to broaden the user base and to tackle a much wider range of problems, including experiments we were not able to carry out before, such as the study of temperature-dependent phase changes in pharmaceutical materials. Given the geographical distribution of research centres in Eastern England, this instrumentation is of key strategic importance to UEA and will be operated as a generally accessible shared Norwich Research Park (NRP) facility. The University has agreed to provide long term management and maintenance support to ensure the continued successful operation beyond the lifetime of the grant.