Preview
Identifier
Winner, Second Place; People's Choice
Creation Date
Spring 2023
Description
Crystallography relies on leveraging modern computers and programing to apply mathematics to the diffraction physics of x-rays interacting with pure chemical crystals. The ability to accurately and precisely measure the atomic positions of atoms allows us to derive a visual representation of the crystalline molecular building blocks. As a crystallographer in the Ferrites research group, my focus involves growing crystals, harvesting a single crystal, and using Single Crystal X-Ray Diffraction methodologies to collect data. This process, along with the integration and refinement of the data, allows me to identify the structure of the molecules at the atomic scale. This composite image shows a white “crystalscape,” photographed through a microscope, of crystals formed from the reaction of silver hexafluorophosphate, obtained through ISU BirdFEEDER grant funding, with an organic ligand called “PEBE”. A single needle-like crystal was taken from this sample and the data obtained from its diffraction and integration presented the structures of the molecules overlayed.