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.
