Structure determination from powder diffraction data

Structure determination from powder diffraction data has developed in the past decade to the stage where the structures of many molecular materials, particularly of pharmaceutical interest, are successfully solved. The intrinsically higher symmetry and more complex topology of inorganic materials complicate their structure determination from powder diffraction data which is, as a result, less routine than its molecular counterpart. The study of small proteins from powder diffraction data alone shows great promise and the first structures have been solved. The limits of the powder diffraction technique remain to be explored, particularly if auxiliary techniques are used.