X Ray Diffraction
X Ray Diffraction
X Ray Diffraction
2d sin n
Rotatng Crystal Method
The reflected beams are located on the surfaces
of imaginary cones. By recording the diffraction
patterns (both angles & intensities) for various
crystal orientations, one can determine the shape
& size of unit cell as well as the arrangement of
atoms inside the cell.
Film
The Powder Method
If a powdered crystal is used instead of a single
crystal, then there is no need to rotate it, because
there will always be some small crystals at an
orientation for which diffraction is permitted.
Here a monochromatic X-ray beam is incident on
a powdered or polycrystalline sample.
Useful for samples that are difficult to obtain in
single crystal form.
The powder method is used to determine the
lattice parameters accurately. Lattice parameters
are the magnitudes of the primitive vectors a, b
and c which define the unit cell for the crystal.
The Powder Method
For every set of crystal planes, by chance,
one or more crystals will be in the correct
orientation to give the correct Bragg angle
to satisfy Bragg's equation. Every crystal
plane is thus capable of diffraction.
Each diffraction line is made up of a large
number of small spots, each from a separate
crystal. Each spot is so small as to give the
appearance of a continuous line.
The Powder Method
If a monochromatic X-ray beam is directed
at a single crystal, then only one or two
diffracted beams may result. See figure
For a sample of several randomly orientated
single crystals, the diffracted beams will lie
on the surface of several cones. The cones
may emerge in all directions, forwards and
backwards. See figure
For a sample of hundreds of crystals
(powdered sample), the diffracted beams
form continuous cones. A circle of film is
used to record the diffraction pattern as
shown. Each cone intersects the film giving
diffraction lines. The lines are seen as arcs
on the film. See figure
Debye Scherrer Camera
A small amount of powdered material is sealed into a fine
capillary tube made from glass that does not diffract X-Rays.
The sample is placed in the Debye Scherrer camera and
is accurately aligned to be in the center of the camera. X-
Rays enter the camera through a collimator.
The powder diffracts the X-Rays
in accordance with Braggs Law to
produce cones of diffracted
beams. These cones intersect a
strip of photographic film located
in the cylindrical camera to
produce a characteristic set of
arcs on the film.
Powder Diffraction Film
When the film is removed from the
camera, flattened & processed, it shows
the diffraction lines & the holes for the
incident & transmitted beams.
Powder Method
Incident Sample
Beam
Film