In
crystallography
Crystallography is the experimental science of determining the arrangement of atoms in crystalline solids. Crystallography is a fundamental subject in the fields of materials science and solid-state physics (condensed matter physics). The wor ...
, a diffraction standard, or calibration crystal, is a
crystal
A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macros ...
used to
calibrate an
X-ray spectrometer to an absolute X-ray energy scale. A range of materials may be used including
quartz
Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica (silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon-oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical form ...
or
silicon
Silicon is a chemical element with the symbol Si and atomic number 14. It is a hard, brittle crystalline solid with a blue-grey metallic luster, and is a tetravalent metalloid and semiconductor. It is a member of group 14 in the periodic tab ...
crystals. There are also reports of crystals of
silver behenate
Silver behenate is a silver salt of the long-chain fatty acid behenic acid. It is a possible low-angle diffraction standard that was characterized using the powder diffraction technique.
Description
With the National Institute of Standards and T ...
or
silver stearate having been used for this purpose.
External links
* http://www.gwyndafevans.co.uk/thesis-html/node85.html
* http://www.ccp14.ac.uk/solution/calibration/index.html
* http://bigbro.biophys.cornell.edu/documents/SAX_Calibrants/saxs_sphere.html
Measurement
X-ray crystallography
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References