Rigaku has announced that they are providing a new service to access to their electron diffraction technology for crystallography projects in pharmaceuticals, organic and inorganic chemistry, materials science and even mineralogy. Researchers from industry and academia will now be able utilize the world’s first turnkey electron diffractometer, the Rigaku XtaLAB Synergy-ED, without the expense of having to buy one. The new program provides access to instrumentation and software–as well as in-house expertise–to assist with projects.
Electron diffraction is a rapidly emerging single-crystal technique for elucidating atomic structures of pharmaceuticals, catalysts, biominerals, nanomaterials and many other materials, with crystal grain sizes below 1 µm. It requires only minute amounts of sample material, and is compatible with extremely radiation-sensitive crystals. For such systems, electron diffraction goes far beyond the limits of X-ray diffraction, and has been shown to succeed where even synchrotrons can’t.
Rigaku will provide a comprehensive crystal structure determination service with scientific support from experienced application scientists that provides full access to everything clients could possibly need, including the strictest confidentiality. Besides a refined atomic model, clients will receive all raw data generated and full access to all the software required for data processing and solution. Rigaku’s CrysAlisPro and AutoChem packages will be immediately familiar to users of Rigaku’s single-crystal diffractometers, providing an effortless transition.
Dr. Mark Benson, General Manager of Global Sales and Marketing for Single Crystal, said, “We are extremely proud of the technology we have developed and understand that it has extraordinary potential for the scientific community. We also appreciate that not everyone will be able to afford to have their own Rigaku XtaLAB Synergy-ED electron diffractometer. For these reasons, we are making our technology more widely available, which will suit pharmaceutical and chemical research companies with small projects or immediate needs, or even small start-ups on tight budgets needing answers that only electron diffraction can provide.”
Dr. Robert Bücker, Product Manager for Electron Diffraction, added, “We have run pilot trials with pharmaceutical companies and university laboratories already. They have been extremely pleased with the service we have provided, with regards to both results and rapid turnaround time. Based on this, I anticipate this service becoming very popular and I urge anyone interested to come talk to us soon so we can get your project queued up.”