X-ray crystallography - Research Paper Example

With this diffraction, it I easy to derive the three-dimensional outline or image projection of the density of electrons as profiled in the crystal. The crystal creates a platform for developing a pattern for mean positions of the atoms in the crystal. One can also manage to determine the chemical bonds of the structure, say carbon in diamond crystals and the varying disorders of some of the crystalline structures. Carbon is common in crystal formation. X-ray crystallography has been applied in many scientific fields due to the presence of crystals of many chemical compounds and elements.

A pure crystalline structure is that of table salt, scientifically known as sodium chloride and represented by the chemical formula NaCl. Crystalline structures that have been studied by X-ray crystallography are many. Some of them are calcium fluoride (CaF2), calcite (CaCO3) and pyrite (FeS2). Others are spinel (MgAl2O4) and brucite (MgO4) among others. The inclusion of X-rays in studying crystalline structures enabled further understanding of these compounds in a manner that had never been used before and allowed for formation of more complex compounds through chemical reactions caused by interaction of crystalline structures.

X-ray crystallography can be used to identify and locate unusual electronic properties of a material by studying their electron positions and mobility. It is also a tool for noting elastic properties of a material considering the chemical interactions that occur within the crystal and the associated processes. With these properties, X-ray crystallography is used in the design and manufacture of pharmaceuticals. Their application involves combining elements and modifying their crystalline structures to ensure that they bond as required (Clegg, 1988).

Other than X-ray crystallography, there are other methods associated with determining atomic structures (Rhodes, 2006). However, they all rely on the principle of diffraction. These