On automation of the procedure for crystal structure model refinement

The methods of automation of the procedure for crystal structure model refinement from experimental diffraction data, implemented in the ASTRA program package, are described. Such tools as statistical tests, parameter scanning, and data scanning reduce the time necessary for structural investigation. At strong correlations between parameters, especially when the data set is limited, parameter scanning has an advantage over the full-matrix refinement.     

Anisotropy of Microhardness and Fracture of Langasite Crystal and Its Structural Basis

Crystallography Reports - The anisotropy of microhardness and fracture of the (0001) basal plane of langasite crystal has been studied using Berkovich indentation under a load of 100 g at different...     

New Data on the Isomorphism in Eudialyte-Group Minerals. V: Crystal Structure of an Intermediate Member of the Manganoeudialyte‒Ilyukhinite Isomorphous Series

Crystallography Reports - The crystal structure of a high-symmetry representative of the eudialyte group from the Norra Kärr massif (Sweden) has been investigated by X-ray diffraction analysis...     

Accurate Refinement of the Crystal Structure of Ba<Subscript>3</Subscript>TaGa<Subscript>3</Subscript>Si<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>14</Subscript> from Langasite Family and Analysis of Structural Transformations Due to Isomorphous Cation Substitutions

An accurate structure analysis of a Ba₃TaGa₃Si₂O₁₄ single crystal from langasite family was performed using four X-ray diffraction data sets collected on a diffractometer equipped with a CCD area detector (sp. gr. P321, Z = 1, sinθ/λ ≤ 1.35 Å^–1; at 295 K a = 8.516(1) Å, c = 5.1910(6) Å, R/wR = 0.58/0.56%, Δρ_min/Δρ_max =–0.73/0.42 e/ų, 4414 independent reflections; at 106 K a = 8.5109(9) Å, c = 5.1861(9) Å, R/wR = 0.75/0.86%, Δρ_min/Δρ_max =–0.81/1.06 e/ų, 4382 reflections). The distinguishing feature of the Ba₃TaGa₃Si₂O₁₄ structure is a strong disorder of the Ga atom at the 3f site. Structural transformations in the series of Сa₃TaGa₃Si₂O₁₄–Sr₃TaGa₃Si₂O₁₄–Ba₃TaGa₃Si₂O₁₄–Ba₃TaFe₃Si₂O₁₄ crystals were analyzed.     

Structural analysis according to reduced data: VIII. Refinement of the extended model of aspherical atoms

A program for the refinement of the model of aspherical atoms within the Stewart-Hansen-Coppens formalism has been developed. Deformation scattering up to the 8th expansion order in multipoles has been taken into account for the first time. The program was tested for 11 crystals. The effect of the result of interpolation of radial scattering curves on the model parameters is considered. The importance of introduction of multipoles of high (5th–8th) orders into the model for a number of crystals is shown. The use of the extended multipole model for a silicon crystal revealed some new specific features of the electronic structure: consideration of multipoles up to the 7th order makes it possible to explain the intensity of the forbidden 222 reflection.     

Structural study of K<Subscript>0.93</Subscript>Ti<Subscript>0.93</Subscript>Nb<Subscript>0.07</Subscript>OPO<Subscript>4</Subscript> single crystals at 30 K

The structure of a K_0.93Ti_0.93Nb_0.07OPO₄ single crystal is studied at the temperature 30 K. The measurements are performed on a four-circle HUBER-5042 diffractometer with a DISPLEX DE-202 cryostat. Processing of the diffraction data and the preliminary refinement of the model are performed using the ASTRA program package. The final refinement of the structure model is made using the JANA2000 program complex. The refinement shows that the structure of a K_0.93Ti_0.93Nb_0.07OPO₄ crystal at T = 30 K is similar to its structure at room temperature. No phase transitions are revealed. Slight temperature-induced displacements of the potassium positions in the large cavities of the mixed framework are established.     

Structure of Gd<Subscript>0.95</Subscript>Bi<Subscript>0.05</Subscript>Fe<Subscript>3</Subscript>(BO<Subscript>3</Subscript>)<Subscript>4</Subscript> single crystals at 293 and 90 K

The structure of GdFe₃(BO₃)₄ single crystals has been studied by X-ray diffraction at 293 and 90 K. The crystals are grown from a flux in the Bi₂Mo₃O₁₂–B₂O₃–Li₂MoO₄–Gd₂O₃–Fe₂O₃ system. The results of chemical analysis and structural study show that these crystals contain bismuth as an impurity. It is found that bismuth atoms are located at gadolinium sites in the structure. A decrease in the temperature is accompanied by a lowering of the symmetry from sp. gr. R32 (at 293 K) to sp. gr. P3₁21 (at 90 K). The presence of two types of iron chains with different geometries at 90 K promotes a change in the magnetic properties of these crystals with a decrease in the temperature.     

Common Factors of Alzheimer’s Disease and Rheumatoid Arthritis—Pathomechanism and Treatment

The accumulation of amyloid plaques, or misfolded fragments of proteins, leads to the development of a condition known as amyloidosis, which is clinically recognized as a systemic disease. Amyloidosis plays a special role in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease, and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The occurrence of amyloidosis correlates with the aging process of the organism, and since nowadays, old age is determined by the comfort of functioning and the elimination of unpleasant disease symptoms in the elderly, exposure to this subject is justified. In Alzheimer’s disease, amyloid plaques negatively affect glutaminergic and cholinergic transmission and loss of sympathetic protein, while in RA, amyloids stimulated by the activity of the immune system affect the degradation of the osteoarticular bond. The following monograph draws attention to the over-reactivity of the immune system in AD and RA, describes the functionality of the blood–brain barrier as an intermediary medium between RA and AD, and indicates the direction of research to date, focusing on determining the relationship and the cause–effect link between these disorders. The paper presents possible directions for the treatment of amyloidosis, with particular emphasis on innovative therapies.     

Crystal structure refinement of Sr<Subscript>3</Subscript>TaGa<Subscript>3</Subscript>Si<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>14</Subscript>

An accurate X-ray diffraction study of Sr₃TaGa₃Si₂O₁₄ (STGS) crystal (a = 8.3023(10) Å, c = 5.0853(2) Å, sp. gr. P321, Z = 1, R/wR = 0.59/0.52%, 4004 independent reflections) is performed. The use of two independent data sets obtained on diffractometers with point and 2D detectors made it possible to determine the model structure characterized by the best reproducibility of parameters. The ordered distribution of atoms over crystallographic positions and the anharmonic character of displacements of all cations and one oxygen atom are established.     

Features of the Crystal Structure of Tm1–xYbxB12 Dodecaborides near a Quantum Critical Point and at a Metal–Insulator Transition

JETP Letters - The magnetic phase diagram of Tm1–xYbxB12 antiferromagnets is determined from the specific heat measurements performed at low and ultralow temperatures (0.07–10 K)....