Smart structure

Siemens has developed a device
called the Siemens Molecular
Analysis Research Tool (SMART),
which will substantially cut down the
time taken to analyse crystal structure. The device uses a molybdenum
X-ray tube to produce the X-rays
which are then incident on the crystal sample. After bouncIng off from
the atoms in the crystal, the radiation
strikes a phosphorous screen generatingvisible light, which is gathered
by a million pixel charge coupled
devices (CCD). The CCD directly
gives electronic data on the position
and strength of the radiation, from
which the structure is reconstructed.