.... http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/landing.cda?type=Feature&chId=8 http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cma/download.cma?imageType=RssLogo&contentType=Feature&siteId=1&chId=8 http://www.spectroscopynow.com/ http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=8&id=26703&type=Feature&page=1 Analyses using energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS) and X-ray diffraction have been used to investigate the electrochemical dissolution of platinum in an ionic liquid. Given the high value of platinum metal and its widespread use in catalysts and fuel cells this discovery could fulfil the growing need for an efficient way to recycle the metal. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=8&id=26655&type=Feature&page=1 The discovery of X-ray diffraction is reviewed from the perspective of the contemporary knowledge in 1912 about the nature of X-rays, including the disputes between the principle players. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=8&id=26627&type=Feature&page=1 A combination of traditional X-ray crystallography and computer-based model reported in the journal Science have uncovered the structure of an important gene-editing protein. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=8&id=26594&type=Feature&page=1 US reserchers have found that packing organic semiconductors closer together can boost the materials' electrical conductivity. X-ray diffractions studies reveal structural details that take us one step closer to more efficient solar energy panels, better television and computer screens and perhaps even flexible electronic gadgets. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=8&id=26507&type=Feature&page=1 Is it possible to obtain a structure using solid-state density functional theory on powder X-ray diffraction data of molecular crystals when those molecules are too large and complex for conventional refinement methods? The approach has now been applied to obtain the true crystal structure of the amino acid L-phenylalanine. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=8&id=26474&type=Feature&page=1 A handheld X-ray fluorescence instrument was tested in the hot desert of Oman while searching for meteorites and also in the laboratory while doing research on meteorites. Its main applications are the identification and classification of meteorites, the quantification of terrestrial elemental contamination (Sr and Ba) and detection of Mn-rich desert varnish. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=8&id=26432&type=Feature&page=1 A team in Salt Lake City has demonstrated why water can remain in the liquid state even if it is cooled as low as 13 degrees Celsius below its normal freezing point. However, their research also suggests that it is impossible to maintain supercooled water as a liquid at below this temperature. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=8&id=26387&type=Feature&page=1 New clues as to why oxygen becomes the undoing of hydrogenase enzymes has emerged from X-ray absorption spectroscopy studies carried out at the Swiss Light Source. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=8&id=26317&type=Feature&page=1 US researchers have developed a computational algorithm to construct all conceivable metal organic frameworks (MOFs) from a library of building blocks and to rapidly screen them for optimal methane storage capacity. X-ray diffraction was used to characterise one of the most promising of the materials. The approach could have applications in developing gas storage materials, catalysts and sensors. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=8&id=26346&type=Feature&page=1 Grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction of a C60 thin film was used to illustrate that atomic structural information can be obtained from molecular films without further knowledge of the single-crystal structure. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=8&id=26263&type=Feature&page=1 Quasicrystals have earned Israeli scientist Danny Shechtman the 2011 Nobel Prize for Chemistry 2011. Shechtman was studying aluminium alloys in the 1980s using transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and neutron diffraction, when he discovered a forbidden tenfold symmetry pattern in the materials sample. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=8&id=26241&type=Feature&page=1 Combined measurements of X-ray absorption and fluorescence have been performed in jets of pure and diluted argon gas to demonstrate the feasibility of using X-ray fluorescence to study turbulent mixing. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=8&id=26203&type=Feature&page=1 Synchrotron small-angle X-ray scattering has been used to study details of squalamine, a molecule found in the dog fish, that has now been shown to have broad-spectrum antiviral properties in addition to previously known medicinal effects. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=8&id=26148&type=Feature&page=1 A new crystal structure reveals unprecedented detail of the interaction between bacterium and cell surface as the two come into close proximity. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=8&id=26069&type=Feature&page=1 A miniature X-ray tube and silicon PiN diode detector were used to measure lead in bone phantoms by L-line X-ray fluorescence, using phantoms made from plaster of Paris dosed with lead and with an outer layer of resin to mimic soft tissue overlying bone. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=8&id=26055&type=Feature&page=1 The greenhouse gas nitrous oxide undergoes partial decomposition depending on environmental conditions. Now, researchers in Germany have determined the structure of an enzyme, N2O-reductase, that breaks down the gas, which reveals the surprising presence of four copper atoms and two sulfur atoms, as opposed to one, at its active centre. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=8&id=26010&type=Feature&page=1 Diffraction, microscopy and theoretical calculations have all been combined to show how aluminium nanoparticles alter the alloy matrix in which they are embedded. The study could lead to approaches for making tunable materials for engineering, construction and aeronautics based on nanotechnology. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=8&id=25996&type=Feature&page=1 Hard X-ray Fourier transform holography, a promising method for imaging nanoscale objects including biological molecules, has been improved by using an array of oriented objects, each with its own reference, to increase the inherent low scattering intensities. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=8&id=25952&type=Feature&page=1 X-ray crystallography reveals the structure of a common virus that causes juvenile diarrhoea, astrovirus, hinting at the development of potential drugs for this often lethal illness. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=8&id=25871&type=Feature&page=1 Sepiolite has been known since Roman times when it was used to filter and purify wine, today it's commonly found in cat litter trays. It absorbs huge amounts of liquid as it is so porous now an X-ray diffraction study could help explain why and perhaps lead to more technological applications, such as the development of food binders and drug-delivery agents.