XRD

X-ray diffractometry is a technique which reveals information about the crystallographic structure, chemical composition, and physical properties of materials. It is based on observing the scattered intensity of an X-ray beam hitting a sample as a function of incident and scattered angle, polarization, and wavelength or energy (wikipedia.org). The GES department routinely uses a powder x-ray diffractometer (PXRD) for analysis of clays and large organic compounds in geology and evironmental science research.