Structure determination from powder diffraction data. International Union of Crystallography Monographs in Crystallography. No. 13. Edited by W. I. F. David, K. Shankland, L. B. McCusker and Ch. Baerlocher. Pp. xix + 337. Oxford University Press, 2006. Price (paperback) GBP 39.95. ISBN 978-0-19-920553-0.

The art of solving a structure from powder diffraction data has developed rapidly over the last ten years to the point where numerous crystal structures, both organic and inorganic, have been solved directly from powder data. However, it is still an art and, in contrast to its single-crystal equivalent, is far from routine. The art lies not only in the correct application of a specific experimental technique or computer program but also in the selection of the optimal path for the problem at hand. Written and edited by experts active in the field, and covering both the fundamental and applied aspects of structure solution from powder diffraction data, this book guides both novices and experienced practitioners alike through the maze of possibilities. Readership: Graduate students, lecturers and researchers in crystallography, physical chemistry, and materials science; all practitioners of powder diffraction in academia and industry; chemists and chemical analysts in the chemical, materials, and pharmaceutical industry. Contents: 1. Introduction, 2. Structure determination from powder diffraction data: an overview, 3. Laboratory X-ray powder diffraction, 4. Synchroton radiation powder diffraction, 5. Neutron powder diffraction, 6. Sample preparation, instrument selection and data collection, 7. Autoindexing, 8. Extracting integrated intensities from powder diffraction patterns, 9. Experimental methods for estimating the relative intensities of overlapping reflections, 10. Direct methods in powder diffraction – basic concepts, 11. Direct methods in powder diffraction – applications, 12. Patterson methods in powder diffraction: maximum entropy and symmetry minimum function techniques, 13. Solution of Patterson-type syntheses with the direct methods sum function, 14. A maximum entropy approach to structure solution, 15. Global optimization strategies, 16. Solution of flexible molecular structures by simulated annealing, 17. Chemical information and intuition in solving crystal structures.