Instrument loss

Dear Colleagues:

A team of crystallographers in the Institute of Applied Physics of Moldavian Academy of Science has been working under my supervision since 1950 determining the structures of small molecules (inorganic, organic, coordination compounds) and correlations between their structure and chemical and physical properties. The results are well known through scientific publications in the journals of the former Soviet Union (Doklady Ak. Nauk, Kristallografiya, Zhurnal Strukturnoi Khimii, etc.), international journals (Acta Cryst., Journal of Inclusion Phenomena, Supramolecular Chemistry, etc.) and reports at crystallographic congresses, conferences, and meetings. Recently the ACA awarded four individual scientific grants to co-workers of my laboratory (Yu. Simonov, P. Bourosh, V. Cravtsov and M. Fonari).

Unfortunately, a fire on September 21, 1994 destroyed our diffractometer and all control systems. A team of 15 highly qualified scientific co-workers has lost the basic tool of their investigation making it impossible to continue their work.

Due to the economic situation in the Republic of Moldova, we have no hope to purchase a new diffractometer, the price of which is 200,000-250,000 USD.

On behalf of the scientific community from Moldova and the Moldavian crystallographers, I ask the community of all crystallographers in the world to help us. We understand that the purchasing of a new device is a very complicated thing. Perhaps some laboratory is in a position to donate a second-hand, working diffractometer to us. We will be glad to install it and, in addition to our scientific tasks, to carry out some scientific problems proposed by the donors that are within our capabilities.