X-Ray Crystallography (CHEM)

Overview of Services

The Department of Chemistry X-ray Crystallography Facility is part of an Integrated Macromolecular and Small Molecule X-ray Crystallography Facility operated jointly by the Department of Chemistry, the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the Huck Institutes of Life Science.  Crystal growth, single crystal structure determination and data analysis of both macromolecular and small molecule samples can be performed at the facility.  In addition to analyzing submitted samples, we encourage students to become trained independent users of the facility.  The facilty accepts samples from Penn State research community including the sister campuses.  External contracts from other research instiutions and private companies are also welcome.

The single crystal diffractometer housed in room 8 Althouse Laboratory comprises of a Rigaku MicroMax 007 rotating anode (copper) x-ray generator, an Osmic Varimax CuVHF monochromater, a universal four-circle kappa goniometer, and a HyPix-Arc150 area detector boasting zero readout noise & zero dark current noise!  The samples can be cooled down up to 80 Kelvin using the Cobra Oxford Cryosystem.  The data collection and processing software in use is CrysAlis and the structure solution is assisted by AutoChem which taps into various program suites (ShelXS, ShelXt, SIR2011 and Olex2solve) to arrive at the plausible structure.

Various microscopes are available for crystal inspection and mounting.

Samples may be submitted to the facility director for structure determination.  Samples must be properly labeled and submitted in room 8 Althouse Laboratory.

Additional information is available at the facility website.

Leadership

Hemant Yennawar | Director

Location and hours of operation

Links and Resources

• X-Ray Crystallography Facility
• Department of Chemistry

Contacts