Crystallography in Venezuela

Instructors at the Powder Diffraction School in Venezuela: M. Delgado, R. Jenkins, B. J. Wuensch, R. L. Snyder, and G. Diaz de Delgado. (Courtesy G. Diaz de Delgado)

CONICAT, the Venezuelan national agency for Science and Technology, has established a National Center for X-ray Diffraction (CNDR-X) at the Universidad de Los Andes in Merida. The laboratory is engaged in the structural determination of small molecules, in collaboration with research groups at universities and research institutes in Venezuela. The CNDR-X plans to serve the industrial sector of the country by providing specialized courses and technical advice. The Center has state-of-the-art single crystal and powder diffractometers with high- and low-temperature accessories, Silicon Graphics workstations, and 486 PCs. The Center subscribes to most crystallographic data bases (CSD, ICSD, ICDD-PDF and NISTACDD Data base).

Two-week courses on Single Crystal X-ray Diffraction and Powder Diffraction arc planned. The first course on Powder Diffraction was conducted in July 1993, with the participation of more than 30 young scientists from Venezuela and Colombia. Symmetry and diffraction of X-rays by crystals, the fundamentals of data collection and analysis using cameras and diffractometers, the Rietveld method, and the use of the ICDD-PDF Data base in quantitative analysis were covered. The course on Single Crystal X-ray Diffraction is being organized for 1994.

For further information contact: Prof. M. Delgado, CNDR-X, Apdo. 55 La Hechicera, Mérida 52 5 1, Venezuela. Tel.: 5874-401372; FAX: 58-74-401286; e-mail: cndrx@ciens.ula.ve.