3.3. Classification and use of powder diffraction data

Abstract

Powder diffraction creates new demands for versatility in CIF. Unlike single-crystal experiments, where raw data can be automatically reduced to an instrument-independent form (structure factors), powder-diffraction data will always be instrument dependent, and there is a wide array of instrumentation:

• X-ray: conventional, synchrotron, energy-dispersive
• neutron: CW, TOF
• detection: single, multiple, linear position-sensitive, area, film

pdCIF has other special needs:

• Multiple crystallographic phases may be present (requires inter-block links).
• Multiple sets of data may be used for a single model (requires inter-block links).
• Calibration data may appear in other CIFs (requires inter-file links).

Since powder diffraction may be used for non-crystallographic purposes, such as phase identification, the data themselves may be the result.

For classification purposes, the pdCIF dictionary is divided in sections. Few pdCIFs will have entries defined for all sections. The use of each section and the component data items are presented on a section-by-section basis, describing: the experimental configuration; sample preparation, characterization and mounting details; references to calibration information; the experimental (raw) diffraction data set; the processed diffraction data set; calculated diffractogram; peak table; reflection assignments and intensities; derived structural results. The use of the different data items is shown through examples.