Acquisition of an X-ray Diffractometer for Environmental and Materials Chemistry Research

San Francisco State University, San Francisco CA

Investigators

Abstract

With support from the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program, the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at San Francisco State University will acquire an X-ray diffractometer with CCD detector. This equipment will enhance research in a number of areas including studies on a) the environmental fate, transport and bioavailability of heavy metals and toxic trace elements in soil, sediment and groundwater; and b) novel zeolite intercalation compounds such as alkali metal doped pure silica zeolites. The X-ray diffractometer allows accurate and precise measurements of the full three dimensional structure of a molecule, including bond distances and angles, and it provides accurate information about the spatial arrangement of the molecule relative to the neighboring molecules. These studies will have an impact in a number of areas, especially synthesis of important materials science and environmental chemistry.