Mission
The X-ray laboratory provides access to state-of-the-art single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction facilities and offers professional crystallographic advice and services to the members of the Department of Chemistry as well as to external members of the scientific community. The laboratory actively participates in scientific research, crystallography education, and outreach activities.
The single-crystal laboratory is equipped to handle a broad array of organic and organometallic crystals, stable and unstable crystal, and crystals of exceedingly small size. The lab hosts two modern single-crystal X-ray diffractometers and two high-end microscopes.
The powder diffraction laboratory is home to a modern X-ray diffractometer operated by trained users. All trained users can book time on the powder diffractometer.
The laboratory is part of the Paul Bender Chemistry Instrument Center at the Department of Chemistry of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Powder Diffraction
Instrument: Bruker D8 Advance (Installed in August 2012). View the powder diffraction lab live.
Trained users use the calendar page to sign up for instrument time in accordance with our instrument use policies.
All users are required to pass the Radiation Safety Training (Radiation Safety 106).
To become a trained user contact the lab director.
Single-crystal diffraction
Instrument 1: Bruker Smart Quazar with an APEX2 detector and a Mo microsource (installed in December 2009).
Instrument 2: Bruker Smart with an APEX2 detector and Cu conventional tube source.
Sample submission form
Notes on OLEX2 (updated on 14 November 2019) and OLEX2 cheat sheet
New single-crystal X-ray diffractomer
A new state-of-the art single-crystal X-ray diffractometer has become operational. The Bruker D8 VENTURE Photon III four-circle diffractometer with a Cu Kα (λ = 1.54178 Å) radiation source is ideally suited for studies of organic molecules as well as small crystals in a 100–400 K temperature range.