Frolic-Goats high-pressure single-crystal diffraction workshop

Poznan, Poland, April, 2008

A high-pressure single crystal diffraction workshop was organized in the Faculty of Chemistry, Adam Mickiewicz U in Poznan, April 13-16, 2008. Several research groups in our Faculty share one 4-circle CCD diffractometer, and there is an emphases on high-pressure measurements. Efficient procedures for preparing the diamond-anvil cell (DAC), loading samples into the DAC, mounting and centering the DAC, increasing the quality of data and precision of results have been developed and were demonstrated at the workshop. Lectures on “Diamond-Anvil Cell (DAC) design, preparation and loading” (A. Olejniczak), “Single-crystal high-pressure diffractometry” (A. Budzianowski), “Reduction of DAC high-pressure data” (A. Katrusiak), “Practical aspects of solving and refining high-pressure structures” (M. Bujak, Opole U.) and “Tailoring electronic properties of materials by high pressure” (U. Schwarz - Max Planck Inst., Dresden) were complemented by practical exercises on “DAC preparation, loading and pressure calibration” (R. Gajda) and “X-ray diffraction with a DAC” (A. Budzianowski, M. Podsiadło). Leisure time was spent sightseeing in Poznan, (capital of Poland between 940-1039, and now the academic centre for 180K students). The Frolic Goats of the renaissance town hall, equipped with the diamond anvils, were chosen as the logo of the Workshop.