Changes of structural properties of tobermorite in autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) for various compositions were characterized and the disadvantages of SEM analysis in this context are discussed. The influence of variations in the chemical composition of raw materials on lattice parameters, morphology and domain sizes of tobermorite was investigated by XRD and for comparison by SEM analysis. Particularly the effect of substitution by Al3+ and (SO4)2− in tobermorite structure was examined. The dimensions of coherently scattering domains were calculated based on the refinement of anisotropic peak broadening of tobermorite in XRD diffractograms using a Rietveld compatible approach. No effect of (SO4)2− on the domain sizes and lattice parameters of tobermorite could be observed. The amount of anhydrite detected by quantitative XRD analysis indicates that all of the available (SO4)2− is present as anhydrite. Lath-like shapes of domains and a larger c parameter are calculated whenever Al3+ is incorporated in a considerable amount. Formation of katoite can be observed very clearly in SEM micrographs whenever the amount of available Al3+ exceeds a distinct value in the dry mix. The effect of Al3+ and (SO4)2− on tobermorite morphology could not be observed clearly by SEM analysis in AAC samples.

X-ray diffraction-X-ray fluorescence (XRD-XRF) data sets obtained from surface scans of synthetic samples have been analysed by means of different data clustering algorithms, with the aim to propose a methodology for automatic crystallographic and chemical classification of surfaces. Three data clustering strategies have been evaluated, namely hierarchical, k-means, and density-based clustering; all of them have been applied to the distance matrix calculated from the single XRD and XRF data sets as well as the combined distance matrix. Classification performance is reported for each strategy both in numerical form as the corrected Rand index and as a visual reconstruction of the surface maps. Hierarchical and k-means clustering offered comparable results, depending on both sample complexity and data quality. When applied to XRF data collected on a two-phases test sample, both algorithms allowed to obtain Rand index values above 0.8, whereas XRD data collected on the same sample gave values around 0.5; application to the combined distance matrix improved the correlation to about 0.9. In the case of a more complex multi-phase sample, it has also been found that classification performance strongly depends on both data quality and signal contrast between different regions; again, the adoption of the combined dissimilarity matrix offered improved classification performance.

We report the dielectric properties of ACu3Ti4O12 (A = Eu2/3, Tb2/3, and Na1/2Eu1/2) (ACTO) in the frequency range of 40 Hz–2.5 MHz and in the temperature range of 293–473 K. The experimental results show that substituting for Ca improves the loss tangent of CaCu3Ti4O12 (CCTO). Although the dielectric constants largely decrease, they remain at a high level of 103. To identify the observed dielectric performances of ACTO, scanning electron microscopy and complex impedance measurements were conducted. The conducting mechanism for the grain of ACTO was found to be ion jumping rather than electron hopping (for the grain of CCTO). The results show that the decreased dielectric constant may be related to the decreased grain size, the different carrier in the grain, the different grain boundary properties, or a combination of these factors. All these factors are associated with the deficiency of oxygen vacancies in the samples of ACTO. The decreased loss tangent may be due to the increase in the grain boundary resistance.

X-ray powder diffraction data, unit-cell parameters, and space group for 17- hydroxy-16-methyl-9,11-epoxypregna-1,4,6-triene-3,20-dione, C22H26O4, are reported [ a = 18.435(1) Å, b = 12.269(3) Å, c = 8.251(5) Å, α = 90°, β = 90°, γ = 90°, unit-cell volume V = 1866.43 Å3, Z = 4, ρcal = 1.261 g cm−3 and space group P212121]. All measured lines were indexed and are consistent with the P212121 space group. No detectable impurities were observed.

The crystal structure of minocycline hydrochloride dihydrate has been solved and refined using synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction data, and optimized using density functional techniques. Minocycline hydrochloride dihydrate crystallizes in space group P212121 (#19) with a = 7.40772(1), b = 14.44924(3), c = 22.33329(4) Å, V = 2390.465(12) Å3, and Z = 4. The minocycline cation is a zwitterion: both dimethylamino groups are protonated and one hydroxyl group is ionized. A potential ambiguity in the orientation of the amide group was resolved by considering Rietveld refinement residuals and displacement coefficients, as well as DFT energies. The crystal structure is dominated by hydrogen bonds. Both water molecules and a hydroxyl group act as donors to the chloride anion. Both protonated dimethyl amine groups act as donors to the ionized hydroxyl group. Several intramolecular O–H···O hydrogen groups help determine the conformation of the cation. The powder pattern is included in the Powder Diffraction File™ as entry 00-066-1606.

The crystal structure of hydroxyzine dihydrochloride has been solved and refined using synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction data, and optimized using density functional techniques. Hydroxyzine dihydrochloride crystallizes in space group P21 (#4) with a = 11.48735(10), b = 7.41792(7), c = 14.99234(15) Å, β = 110.4383(10)°, V = 1197.107(13) Å3, and Z = 2. The hydroxyl-containing side chain of the cation is disordered over two conformations, with ~70/30% occupancy. The crystal structure consists of alternating polar (which includes the cation-anion interactions and hydrogen bonds) and nonpolar layers parallel to the ab-plane. The crystal structure is dominated by hydrogen bonds. Each of the protonated nitrogen atoms forms a very strong hydrogen bond to one of the chloride anions. The hydroxyl group forms a strong hydrogen bond to one of the chloride anions in both conformations, and there are subtle differences in the hydrogen bonding patterns between the conformations. The powder pattern is included in the Powder Diffraction File™ as entry 00-066-1603.

Crystal structure analysis of a pyrazole carboxylic acid derivative, 5-(trifluoromethyl)-1-phenyl-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylic acid (1) has been carried out from laboratory powder X-ray diffraction data. The crystal packing in the pyrazole carboxylic acid derivative exhibits an interplay of strong O–H…O, C–H…N and C–H…F hydrogen bonds to generate a three-dimensional molecular packing via the formation of R22(8) and R22(9) rings. Molecular electrostatic potential calculations indicated that carbonyl oxygen, pyrazole nitrogen and fluorine atoms to be the strongest acceptors. The relative contribution of different interactions to the Hirshfeld surface of pyrazole carboxylic acid and a few related structures retrieved from CSD indicates that H…H, N…H and O…H interactions can account for almost 70% of the Hirsfeld surface area in these compounds.

Kesterite (Cu2ZnSnS4, CZTS) powders were produced by reactive high-energy milling, starting from stoichiometric mixtures of the elemental components. CZTS forms fine crystals with a cubic structure, which evolves to the stable tetragonal form after thermal treatment. Tablets were produced by cold pressing of the ball milled powder, and sintered up to 660 °C. Seebeck coefficient, electrical resistivity, and thermal diffusivity were measured on the sintered tablets, pointing out the positive effect of CZTS nanostructure and of the rather large fraction of porosity: thermal conductivity is rather low (from ~0.8 W/(m K) at 20 °C to ~0.42 W/(m K) at 500 °C), while electrical conduction is not seriously hindered (electrical resistivity from ~8500 µΩ m at 40 °C to ~2000 µΩ m at 400 °C). Preliminary results of thermoelectric behavior are promising.

Capecitabine (Xeloda) is a chemotherapy drug used to treat breast, gastric, and colorectal cancers. Commercial capecitabine crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group P212121 (#19) with a = 5.20587(3), b = 9.52324(4), c = 34.79574(21) Å, V = 1725.062(12) Å3, and Z = 4. A reduced cell search in the Cambridge Structural Database (Groom C. R., Bruno, I. J., Lightfoot, M. P., and Ward, S. C. (2016) Crystallogr. Sect. B: Struct. Sci., Cryst. Eng. Mater.72, 171–179) yielded three previous structure determinations (Rohlicek, J., Husak, M., Gavenda, A., Jegorov, A., Kratochvil, B., and Fitch, A. (2016). Acta Cryst. Sect. E: Crystallgr. Commun.72, 879–880, BOVDUM; Malińska, M., Krzeczyński, P., Czerniec-Michalik, E., Trzcińska, K., Cmoch, P., Kutner, A., and Woźniak, K. (2014). J. Pharm. Sci.103, 587–593, BOVDUM01 and BOVDUM02), using synchrotron powder data and later single crystal data at two temperatures. In this work, the sample was ordered from United States Pharmacopeial Convention (lot # G0J205), and analyzed as-received. The room temperature (295 K) crystal structure was refined using synchrotron (λ = 0.413914 Å) powder diffraction data, density functional theory (DFT), and Rietveld refinement techniques. Hydrogen positions were included as part of the structure, and were re-calculated during the refinement. The diffraction data were collected on a beamline 11-BM at the Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory and the powder X-ray diffraction pattern of the compound is provided. The agreement of the Rietveld-refined and DFT-optimized structures is poorest in the pentyl side chain, consistent with the disorder observed previously.

The ICDD's Powder Diffraction File™ (PDF®) is a database of inorganic and organic diffraction data used for phase identification and materials characterization by powder diffraction. The PDF has been available for over 75 years and finds application in X-ray, synchrotron, electron, and neutron diffraction analyses. With entries based on powder and single crystal data, the PDF is the only crystallographic database where every entry is editorially reviewed and marked with a quality mark that alerts the user to the reliability/quality of the submitted data. The editorial processes of ICDD's quality management system are unique in that they are ISO 9001:2015 certified. Initially offered as text on paper cards and books, the PDF evolved to a computer-readable database in the 1960s and today is both computer and web accessible. With data mining and phase identification software available in PDF products, and the databases’ compatibility with vendor (third party) software, the 1 000 000+ published PDF entries serve a wide range of disciplines covering academic, industrial, and government laboratories. Details describing the content of database entries are presented to enhance the use of the PDF.

The crystal structure of metolazone has been solved and refined using synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction data and optimized using density functional techniques. Metolazone crystallizes in space group P-1 (#2) with a = 8.1976(5), b = 14.4615(69), c = 16.0993(86) Å, α = 115.009(18), β = 90.096(7), γ = 106.264(4)°, V = 1644.52(9) Å3, and Z = 4. The broad (02-1) peak at 3.42° 2θ indicates stacking faults along this direction. The crystal structure consists of alternating polar and hydrocarbon layers parallel to the ac-plane. Only one of the sulfonamide groups acts as a hydrogen bond donor. Both ring nitrogen atoms act as hydrogen bond donors, but one forms an N–H···N hydrogen bond, while the other participates in an N–H···O bond. The powder pattern has been submitted to ICDD® for inclusion in the Powder Diffraction File™, to replace entry 00-066-1624.

Bendamustine hydrochloride monohydrate (marketed as Treanda®) is a nitrogen mustard purine analog alkylator used in the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and non-Hodgkin lymphomas. Commercial bendamustine hydrochloride monohydrate crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/c (14), with a = 4.71348(4) Å, b = 47.5325(3) Å, c = 8.97458 (5) Å, β = 96.6515(8)°, V = 1997.161(23) Å3, and Z = 4. A reduced cell search in the Cambridge Structural Database yielded a previously reported crystal structure (Allen, 2002), which did not include hydrogens (Reck, 2006). In this work, the sample was ordered from Santa Cruz Biotechnology, and analyzed as received. The room-temperature crystal structure was refined using synchrotron (λ = 0.413896 Å) powder diffraction data, density functional theory (DFT), and Rietveld refinement techniques. Hydrogen positions were included as part of the structure, and recalculated during the refinement. The diffraction data were collected on beamline BM-11 at the Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory. Figure 1 shows the powder X-ray diffraction pattern of the compound. The pattern is included in the Powder Diffraction File as entry 00-064-1508.

The third edition of the To.Sca.Lake Summer School, co-sponsored by ICDD, was organized on the Como Lake shore in Northern Italy, and has seen the participation of more than 50 attendees from four different continents. The main topic was Total Scattering Analysis in the real and reciprocal spaces (by the Pair Distribution Function and the Debye Scattering Equation approaches, respectively). with additional contributions on Small Angle X-ray Scattering and Light Scattering methods, the latter proposed in the static and dynamic modes.

The new double perovskite oxides Sr2Mn1−xNixTeO6 with x = 0.25, 0.5 and 0.75 have been synthesized in polycrystalline form by a conventional solid-state reactions process at 1180 °C, in the air. The structural and vibrational properties of these materials were studied by means XRPD, Raman, and IR spectroscopy. It has been proven that all the materials show typical double perovskite structures with a monoclinic symmetry, but with two different space group, P21/n for the compositions (x = 0.25 and 0.5), while the composition (x = 0.75) crystallizes in the space group I2/m. The lattice parameters obtained are in agreement with those of the two pure extremes Sr2MnTeO6 and Sr2NiTeO6. The monoclinic structural distortion involves long range ordering between Te6+ (in 2b site) and a random mixture (Mn2+/Ni2+) (in 2a site) for the two compositions (x = 0.25 and 0.5) that crystallize in P21/n. For the material (x = 0.75) with I2/m, similar distortion, ordering and mixing occur at the B and B’ double perovskite sites. It was observed that Vegard Law is satisfied, taking into account the cell parameters of both extremes. The effect of the partial substitution of Mn by Ni was also seen in Raman and IR data where a significant mode shift was observed with nickel content increase.

A total of 77 pottery shards originating from the Middle Jomon period (2500–1500 BC) were excavated from the Hinoki site in Tochigi, Japan. Fifty-five of those were Atamadai type pottery, which might contain some temper fragments from the manufacturing process. The pottery shards were analyzed by X-ray diffractometry (XRD). The mineral analyses were compared with the river sands around Mt. Tsukuba to demonstrate the temper's origin of the Atamadai type pottery. Their XRD profiles revealed the following solid solutions which could be fingerprint minerals: biotite for the temper and plagioclase, and hornblende for the clay and temper. These minerals might indicate the origin of each sample because their d-spacings depended on the solid solution composition reflecting their geological characteristics.

The crystal structure of prednicarbate has been solved and refined using synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction data, and optimized using density functional techniques. Prednicarbate crystallizes in space group P212121 (#19) with a = 7.69990(3), b = 10.75725(3), c = 31.36008(11) Å, V = 2597.55(1) Å3, and Z = 4. In the crystal structure the long axis of the steroid ring system lies roughly parallel to the c-axis. The oxygenated side chains are orientated roughly perpendicular to the steroid ring system and are adjacent to each other, parallel to the ab-plane. The only traditional hydrogen bond donor in the prednicarbate molecule is the hydroxyl group O32–H33, but this does not participate in an O–H···O hydrogen bond. The nearest oxygen atoms to O32 are symmetry-related O32 at 4.495 Å, precluding the expected O–H···O hydrogen bond. The powder pattern has been submitted to ICDD® for inclusion in the Powder Diffraction File™.

This paper presents an example of comparing geochemical and mineralogical data by means of the statistical analysis of the X-ray diffraction patterns and the chemical compositions of bulk samples. The proposed methodology was tested on samples of metasomatic rocks from two geologically different objects. Its application allows us to mathematically identify all the main, secondary and some accessory minerals, to qualitatively estimate the contents of these minerals, as well as to assess their effect on the distribution of all petrogenic and investigated trace elements in a short period of time at the earliest stages of the research. We found that the interpretation of the results is significantly influenced by the number of samples studied and the quality of diffractograms.

Advances in instrumentation, software applications, and database content have all contributed to improvements in pharmaceutical analyses by powder diffraction methods in the 21st century. When compared to the globally harmonized United States Pharmacopeia General Chapter <941>, “Characterization of Crystalline and Partially Crystalline Solids by X-ray Powder Diffraction”, many historic problems in pharmaceutical analysis have been addressed by combinations of improved methods and instrumentation. Major changes in the last 20 years include (i) a dramatic lowering in detection capability and detection limits, (ii) enhanced capabilities for dynamic measurements such as in situ analyses under a variety of conditions, and (iii) the ability to identify and characterize nanomaterials, non-crystalline, and amorphous materials by both coherent and incoherent scattering profiles.