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The major structural and enzymatically active protein in spicules from siliceous sponges, e.g., for Suberites domuncula studied here, is silicatein. Silicatein has been established to be the key enzyme that catalyzes the formation of biosilica, a polymer that represents the inorganic scaffold for the spicule. In the present study, it is shown, by application of high-resolution transmission and scanning transmission electron microscopy that, during the initial phase of spicule synthesis, nanofibrils with a diameter of around 10 nm are formed that comprise bundles of between 10 and 20 nanofibrils. In intracellular vacuoles, silicasomes, the nanofibrils form polar structures with a pointed tip and a blunt end. In a time-dependent manner, these nanofibrillar bundles become embedded into a Si-rich matrix, indicative for the formation of biosilica via silicatein molecules that form the nanofibrils. These biosilicified nanofibrillar bundles become extruded from the intracellular space, where they are located in the silicasomes, to the extracellular environment by an evagination process, during which a cellular protrusion forms the axial canal in the growing spicule. The nanofibrillar bundles condense and progressively form the axial filament that becomes localized in the extracellular space. It is concluded that the silicatein-composing nanofibrils act not only as enzymatic silica bio-condensing platforms but also as a structure-giving guidance for the growing spicule.

Oxonitridophosphate Ba6P12N17O9Br3 was synthesized by heating a multicomponent mixture of BaBr2, BaS, phosphoryl triamide and thiophosphoryl triamide in an evacuated and sealed silica-glass ampoule to 750 °C. Ba6P12N17O9Br3 was obtained as the main product as a nanocrystalline powder. The crystal structure was determined ab initio on the basis of electron diffraction data acquired from a single needle-shaped nanocrystal by automated diffraction tomography. Ba6P12N17O9Br3 crystallizes in the hexagonal space group P63/m (no. 176) with unit cell parameters a = 14.654(19), c = 8.255(9) A and Z = 2. Its structure includes triangular, column-shaped anions of ∞1{(P12N17O9)9–}, which are built from vertex-sharing P(O,N)4 tetrahedra with 3-rings and three-coordinate nitrogen atoms. The 1D anions are separated by Ba2+ and Br– ions, which are arranged in channels parallel to the phosphate anions along [001]. The Ba2+ ions are eight- and nine-coordinated by Br– and O/N atoms, respectively.

A highly porous member of isoreticular MFU-4-type frameworks, [Zn(5)Cl(4)(BTDD)(3)] (MFU-4l(arge)) (H(2)-BTDD=bis(1H-1,2,3-triazolo[4,5-b],[4',5'-i])dibenzo[1,4]dioxin), has been synthesized using ZnCl(2) and H(2)-BTDD in N,N-dimethylformamide as a solvent. MFU-4l represents the first example of MFU-4-type frameworks featuring large pore apertures of 9.1 Å. Here, MFU-4l serves as a reference compound to evaluate the origin of unique and specific gas-sorption properties of MFU-4, reported previously. The latter framework features narrow-sized pores of 2.5 Å that allow passage of sufficiently small molecules only (such as hydrogen or water), whereas molecules with larger kinetic diameters (e.g., argon or nitrogen) are excluded from uptake. The crystal structure of MFU-4l has been solved ab initio by direct methods from 3D electron-diffraction data acquired from a single nanosized crystal through automated electron diffraction tomography (ADT) in combination with electron-beam precession. Independently, it has been solved using powder X-ray diffraction. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and variable-temperature X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) experiments carried out on MFU-4l indicate that it is stable up to 500 °C (N(2) atmosphere) and up to 350 °C in air. The framework adsorbs 4 wt % hydrogen at 20 bar and 77 K, which is twice the amount compared to MFU-4. The isosteric heat of adsorption starts for low surface coverage at 5 kJ mol(-1) and decreases to 3.5 kJ mol(-1) at higher H(2) uptake. In contrast, MFU-4 possesses a nearly constant isosteric heat of adsorption of ca. 7 kJ mol(-1) over a wide range of surface coverage. Moreover, MFU-4 exhibits a H(2) desorption maximum at 71 K, which is the highest temperature ever measured for hydrogen physisorbed on metal-organic frameworks (MOFs).

Most forms of multicellular life have developed a calcium-based skeleton, while only a few specialized organisms complement their body plan with silica, such as sponges (phylum Porifera). However, the way in which sponges synthesize their silica is exceptional. They use an enzyme, silicatein, for the polymerization/polycondensation of silica, and thereby form their highly resistant and stabile massive siliceous skeletal elements (spicules). During this biomineralization process (i.e., biosilicification), hydrated amorphous silica is deposited within highly specialized sponge cells, ultimately resulting in structures that range in size from micrometers to meters. This peculiar phenomenon has been comprehensively studied in recent years and by several approaches; the molecular background was explored to create tools that might be employed for novel bio-inspired biotechnological and biomedical applications. Thus, it was discovered that spiculogenesis is mediated by the enzyme silicatein and starts intracellularly. The resulting silica nanoparticles fuse and subsequently form concentric lamellar layers around a central protein filament, consisting of silicatein and the scaffold protein silintaphin-1. Once the growing spicule is extruded into the extracellular space, it gains its final size and shape. Again, this process is mediated by silicatein and silintaphin-1, in combination with other molecules such as galectin and collagen. The molecular toolbox generated so far allows the fabrication of novel micro- and nanostructured composites, contributing to the economical and sustainable synthesis of biomaterials with unique characteristics.

A chemically specific and facile method for the biofunctionalization of WS2 nanotubes (NT-WS2) is reported. The covalent modification strategy is based on the affinity of the nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) side chain, which serves as a ligand for the surface binding to NT-WS2 and simultaneously as an anchor group for the binding of His-tagged proteins to the polymer backbone. The polymer functionalized WS2 nanotubes can be solubilized either in water or organic solvents; they are stable for at least one week. The probes were characterized by FT-IR and UV-vis spectroscopy. The immobilization of silicatein, a hydrolytic protein encountered in marine sponges, was visualized by scanning force microscopy (SFM) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The formation of the biotitania coating mediated by the immobilized silicatein onto the surface was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM).

TheM2O–Al2O3–WO3(M= alkaline metals) system has attracted the attention of the scientific community because some of its members showed potential applications as single crystalline media for tunable solid-state lasers. These materials behave as promising laser host materials due to their high and continuous transparency in the wide range of the near-IR region. A systematic investigation of these phases is nonetheless hampered because it is impossible to produce large crystals and only in a few cases a pure synthetic product can be achieved. Despite substantial advances in X-ray powder diffraction methods, structure investigation on nanoscale is still challenging, especially when the sample is polycrystalline and the structures are affected by pseudo-symmetry. Electron diffraction has the advantage of collecting data from single nanoscopic crystals, but it is frequently limited by incompleteness and dynamical effects. Automated diffraction tomography (ADT) recently emerged as an alternative approach able to collect more complete three-dimensional electron diffraction data and at the same time to significantly reduce dynamical scattering. ADT data have been shown to be suitable forabinitiostructure solution of phases with large cell parameters, and for detecting pseudo-symmetry that was undetected in X-ray powder data. In this work we present the structure investigation of two hitherto undetermined compounds, K5Al(W3O11)2and NaAl(WO4)2, by a combination of electron diffraction tomography and precession electron diffraction. We also stress how electron diffraction tomography can be used to obtain direct information about symmetry and pseudo-symmetry for nanocrystalline phases, even when available only in polyphasic mixtures.

Most of hitherto unknown natural phases and many new synthetic compounds can grow only in the form of nanocrystals. X-ray powder diffraction is the most widespread technique for the structural characterization of nanomaterials, but its use is limited by two main restrictions: structural information is projected in one dimension and data come from the whole sample and not from a specific single crystallite. On the other hand, crystallographic methods based on the scattering of accelerated electrons are able to obtain 3-D structural data from single volumes of few tens of nanometers. Automated diffraction tomography is a recently developed method able to record more kinematical and complete electron diffraction data. This method consists in the acquisition of a series of electron diffraction patterns while the sample is rotated around an arbitrary tilt axis by sequential mechanical steps, within the full tilt range of the microscope goniometer. Data collection can be performed on highly beam sensitive materials, as no time is required for orienting the crystal along specific crystallographic orientations and mild illumination conditions are used. In the last years many nanocrystalline materials belonging to different material classes have been characterized by automated diffraction tomography. This review describes the different experimental and analytical approaches used for the determination of inorganic and organic phases and points out the advantages offered by automated diffraction tomography for the characterization of minor phases available only in polyphasic nanomixtures and for the description of domain arrangement in polycrystalline nanocomposites.

The crystal structure of cyanotrichite, having general formula Cu4Al2(SO4)(OH)12·2H2O, from the Dachang deposit (China) was studied by means of conventional transmission electron microscopy, automated electron diffraction tomography (ADT) and synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD). ADT revealed the presence of two different cyanotrichite-like phases. The same phases were also recognized in the XRPD pattern, allowing the perfect indexing of all peaks leading, after refinement to the following cell parameters: (1) a = 12.417(2) Å, b = 2.907(1) Å, c = 10.157(1) Å and β = 98.12(1); (2) a = 12.660(2) Å, b = 2.897(1) Å, c = 10.162(1) Å and β = 92.42(1)°. Only for the former phase, labeled cyanotrichite-98, a partial structure, corresponding to the [Cu4Al2(OH)12 2+] cluster, was obtained ab initio by direct methods in space group C2/m on the basis of electron diffraction data. Geometric and charge-balance considerations allowed to reach the whole structure model for the cyanotrichite-98 phase. The sulfate group and water molecule result to be statistically disordered over two possible positions, but keeping the average structure consistent with the C-centering symmetry, in agreement with ADT results.

A novel crystalline boron oxynitride (BON) phase has been synthesized under static pressures exceeding 15 GPa and temperatures above 1900 °C, from molar mixtures of B2O3 and h-BN. The structure and composition of the synthesized product were studied using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, electron diffraction, automated diffraction tomography, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS). BON shows a hexagonal cell (R3m, Z = 3) with lattice parameters a = 2.55(5) A and c = 6.37(13) A, and a crystal structure closely related to the cubic sphalerite type. The EELS quantification yielded 42 at % B, 35 at % N, and 23 at % O (B:N:O ≈ 6:4:3). Electronic structure calculations in the framework of Density Functional Theory have been performed to assess the stabilities and properties of selected models with the composition B6N4O3. These models contain ordered structural vacancies and are superstructures of the sphalerite structure. The calculated bulk moduli of ...

Several porous phases have been characterized in the last years by tomographic electron diffraction. This paper provides an overview of the analyzed phases, pointing out the difficulties associated with different classes of materials or specific sample characteristics. The two methods for tomographic electron diffraction acquisition, automated diffraction tomography and rotation electron diffraction, are described in detail, as well as data reduction algorithms. Attainments and limits of different structure determination and refinement algorithms are discussed for inorganic, organic and hybrid organic-inorganic materials. Finally, it is shown how tomographic electron diffraction and X-ray powder diffraction data can be combined for a comprehensive characterization of porous materials.

Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) are versatile materials used for intercalating bioactive molecules in the fields of pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals and cosmetics, with the purpose of protecting them from degradation, enhancing their water solubility to increase bioavailability and improving their pharmacokinetic properties and formulation stability. Moreover, LDHs are used in various technological applications to improve stability and processability. The crystal chemistry of hydrotalcite-like compounds was investigated by X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), automated electron diffraction tomography (ADT) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA)-GC-MS to shed light on the mechanisms involved in ion exchange and absorption of contaminants, mainly carbonate anions. For the first time, ADT allowed a structural model of LDH_NO3 to be obtained from experiment, shedding light on the conformation of nitrate inside LDH and on the loss of crystallinity due to the layer morphology. The ADT analysis of a hybrid LDH sample (LDH_EUS) clearly revealed an increase in defectivity in this material. XRPD demonstrated that the presence of carbonate can influence the intercalation of organic molecules into LDH, since CO3 -contaminated samples tend to adopt d spacings that are approximate multiples of the d spacing of LDH_CO3 . TGA-GC-MS allowed intercalated and surface- adsorbed organic molecules to be distinguished and quantified, the presence and amount of carbonate to be confirmed, especially at low concentrations (

International audience; Iron-minerals-water interactions are of primary importance in the contexts of underground structure engineering (e.g. reactive barriers or deep geological storage) and for the understanding of secondary alteration processes in primitive meteorites. To improve our understanding of these systems, we determine the mineralogical transformations induced by the association of iron and silicates during a cooling through an experimental simulation of iron-clay interactions with a step-by-step procedure in the range of 90 degrees C to 40 degrees C. The run products and solutions are well characterised, by means of different techniques (X-ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, manocalcimetry, inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry and ion chromatography), and the thermodynamic data concerning Fe-bearing phyllosilicates are well-tested comparing the modelling and experimental results. Therefore, the main mineralogical modifications observed include the remarkable formation of cronstedtite and greenalite, as well as the formation of magnetite at all temperatures, along with a significant dissolution of quartz, mixed-layer illite-smectite clays, illite (affecting more than 70% of each mineralogical phase) and a partial alteration of chlorite, kaolinite and dolomite. The experimental results confirm the reaction path predicted by thermodynamic modelling, i.e. the formation of iron-rich T-O phyllosilicates (cronstedtite and greenalite) and magnetite at the expense of metal iron and silicates. Both the experimental and thermodynamic results presented in this study provide important constraints to well predict the impact of nuclear waste canister corrosion in a claystone media and to better understand secondary alteration processes, which could also affect the mineralogical and chemical composition of primitive meteorites.

International audience; A synthetic analogue of chukanovite Fe-2(CO3)(OH)(2) is formed during experimental work on iron-clay interactions simulating the cooling of containers in radioactive waste repositories. Despite its small size and the mixture with other minerals it is undoubtedly identified by X-Ray Diffraction, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy and Transmission Electron Microscopy. For the first time, the structural characterisation of a synthetic chukanovite is carried out thanks to the combination of Automated Diffraction Tomography and Precession Electron Diffraction. Refinement results and comparison with literature data show that the structure of this synthetic chukanovite is consistent with that proposed for natural chukanovite found in Dronino meteorite.

Alkali metal tantalates are of interest for applications in photocatalysis as well as in high temperature resistance or capacitor dielectric materials. We have synthesized nanosized Ta2O5 rods and MTaO3 cubes (M = Na, K, Rb) hydrothermally and demonstrate the pH dependence of the synthesis of tantalum oxide and tantalate nanoparticles. The morphologies of the nanoparticles range from particle agglomerates in acidic reaction media over rods at neutral pH to tantalate cubes in basic reaction media. Whereas there is no apparent influence of the base cation on the particle morphology, there is a pronounced effect on the particle composition. At high base concentrations cubic tantalate particles with a pyrochlore structure were formed. The pyrochlore structure allows a complete ion exchange through the tunnels in the structure by replacing the alkali metal ions by H+ while retaining the particle morphology. The as-synthesized particles show promising photocatalytic properties.

We report about three bismuth sulfates from mineralized quartz dikes from Alfenza (Crodo, Italy), two new phases and a rare mineral, cannonite, all growing on bismuthinite. The first new phase occurs as white, "hortensia-like" aggregates of pseudo-hexagonal platelets, with perfect basal cleavage, similar to 20 mu m wide and few micrometers thick. The approximate composition is Bi2O2(SO4), and cell parameters and symmetry, as determined by automatic diffraction tomography, are a = 22.0(4), b = 16.7(3), c = 15.9(3) angstrom, beta = 102.9(5)degrees, space group Pc or P2/c. A major stacking disorder is detected by HR-SEM images and electron diffraction data.The second new phase was detected only by TEM. It can be distinguished by its random orientation on the TEM grid (i.e., absence of preferential parting), the higher resistance under the electron beam, and different cell parameters and structure, whereas the composition is similar (Bi/S similar to 2.2/1), apart for the presence of tellurium up to similar to 6 cations percents. The unit cell is hexagonal, space group P (6) over bar 2c, a = 9.5(2) and c = 15.4(3) angstrom. In this case, a structure model was obtained ab initio from electron diffraction data. Interestingly, the mineral has a porous structure with one dimensional porosity (diameter of the channel similar to 7 angstrom).Finally, within the same centimeter sized hand-specimens, we detected also cannonite. Its identification was done by automatic diffraction tomography. The measured cell parameters are a = 7.7(2), b = 13.9(3), c = 5.7(1) angstrom, beta = 109.8(5)degrees, the space group P2(1)/c. Cannonite at Alfenza forms radiating, acicular aggregates of colorless, transparent crystals with "scalpel-like" habit, elongated along c, up to 200 mu m in length.

In this paper the reliability of structure solution of nano-crystalline porous compounds with preferred orientation based on automated electron diffraction tomography (ADT) is discussed. It will be shown that the limitations of the data acquisition geometry can be overcome by completing the missing diffraction data with additional diffraction information. Apart from different ways of sample preparation, data merging with either additional ADT data sets or intensities derived from X-ray powder diffraction comprise an effective way to improve the accuracy of the structure solution.

Herein, we investigate human single hydroxyapatite crystals (enamel and dentine) by convergent-beam electron diffraction (CBED) and automated electron-diffraction tomography (ADT). The CBED pattern shows the absence of the mirror plane perpendicular to the c axis leading to the P63 space group instead of the P63 /m space group considered for larger-scale crystals, this is confirmed by ADT. This experimental evidence is of prime importance for understanding the morphogenesis and the architectural organization of calcified tissues.

A new layered borosilicate has been synthesized in the presence of cesium and sodium cations and its structure has been solved by a combination of automated diffraction tomography (ADT) and X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD). MZ-35 has a composition NaCs 2 [BSi 7 O 16 (OH) 2 ](OH) 2 ·4H 2 O and features space group P-4m2. The unusually small unit cell ( a 7.3081 A, c 10.7520 A) is shared by two random-stacked configurations of the structure: a network of connected pentasil units related to the layer of RUB-18 and a bidimensional checkerboard of intersecting ladders of 4-membered rings. The two configurations are related by the simple face-sharing inversion of a hydroxyl-bearing tetrahedron.

Closed WS2 nanoboxes were formed by topotactic sulfidization of a WO3/WO3·⅓H2O intergrowth precursor. Automated diffraction tomography was used to elucidate the growth mechanism of these unconventional hollow structures. By partial conversion and structural analysis of the products, each of them representing a snapshot of the reaction at a given point in time, the overall reaction can be broken down into a cascade of individual steps and each of them identified with a basic mechanism. During the initial step of sulfidization WO3·⅓H2O transforms into hexagonal WO3 whose surface allows for the epitaxial induction of WS2. The initially formed platelets of WS2 exhibit a preferred orientation with respect to the nanorod surface. In the final step individual layers of WS2 coalesce to form closed shells. In essence, a cascade of several topotactic reactions leads to epitactic induction and formation of closed rectangular hollow boxes made up from hexagonal layers.

The crystal structure of the novel Al77Rh15Ru8phase (which is an approximant of decagonal quasicrystals) was determined using modern direct methods (MDM) applied to automated electron diffraction tomography (ADT) data. The Al77Rh15Ru8E-phase is orthorhombic [Pbma,a= 23.40 (5),b= 16.20 (4) andc= 20.00 (5) Å] and has one of the most complicated intermetallic structures solved solely by electron diffraction methods. Its structural model consists of 78 unique atomic positions in the unit cell (19 Rh/Ru and 59 Al). Precession electron diffraction (PED) patterns and high-resolution electron microscopy (HRTEM) images were used for the validation of the proposed atomic model. The structure of the E-phase is described using hierarchical packing of polyhedra and a single type of tiling in the form of a parallelogram. Based on this description, the structure of the E-phase is compared with that of the ε6-phase formed in Al–Rh–Ru at close compositions.

Au–MnO heteroparticles were immobilized on the surface of TiO2 nanowires and tagged subsequently with a fluorescent ligand. The immobilization of the Au@MnO heteroparticles was achieved by functionalizing the TiO2 nanowire support with a polymer containing catechol anchor groups for binding to the metal oxide surface and amine groups for conjugation to the Au domains of the Au@MnO heteroparticles. The Au domain of the resulting TiO2@Au–MnO nanocomposite could be functionalized selectively with a thiol-tagged 24 mer oligomer containing Texas red (SH-ODN-TXS red), whereas a green dye (NBD–Cl) could be anchored selectively to the TiO2 “support” using the free amine groups of the polymeric ligand. The binding of the NBD and the Texas red fluorophors was monitored by confocal microscopy and the functionalization of the metal oxide nanoparticles was monitored by UV-Vis spectroscopy. All composite products were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) combined with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and UV-Vis spectroscopy.

International audience; The cooling of steel containers in radioactive-waste storage was simulated in a step-by-step experiment from 90 to 40 degrees C. Among newly formed clay minerals observed in run products, cronstedtite was identified by a number of analytical techniques (powder X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy). Cronstedtite has not previously been recognized to be so abundant and so well crystallized in an iron-clay interaction experiment. The supersaturation of experimental solutions with respect to cronstedtite was due to the availability of Fe and Si in solution, as a result of the dissolution of iron metal powder, quartz, and minor amounts of other silicates. Cronstedtite crystals are characterized by various morphologies: pyramidal (truncated or not) with a triangular base and conical with a rounded or hexagonal cross-section. The pyramidal crystals occur more frequently and their polytypes (2M(1), 1M, 3T) were identified by selected area electron diffraction patterns and by automated diffraction tomography. Cronstedtite is stable within the 90-60 degrees C temperature range. At temperatures of

The new title compound is obtained as main product from a mixture of BaBr2, BaS, PS(NH2)3, and PO(NH2)3 (silica glass ampule, 750 °C, 48 h).

tion that is fundamental for understanding material properties. Still, a number of compounds have eluded such kinds of analysis because they are nanocrystalline, highly disordered, with strong pseudosymmetries or available only in small amounts in polyphasic or polymorphic systems. These materials are crystallographically intractable with conventional Xray or synchrotron radiation diffraction techniques. Single nanoparticles can be visualized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) up to sub�ngstrom resolution, [2] but obtaining 3D information is still a difficult task, especially for highly beam-sensitive materials and crystal structures with long cell parameters. Electron diffraction (ED) delivers higher resolved data with a significant lower electron dose on the sample, but is biased by a substantial number of missing reflections and the occurrence of dynamic scattering that affects reflection intensities. [3] Therefore, ED is mainly used in combination with Xray powder diffraction and high-resolution electron microscopy. [4]

Using a combination of automated diffraction tomography and precession electron diffraction techniques, quasi-kinematical electron diffraction data sets were collected from intermetallic Ni1+xTe1 embedded nanodomains and ion-thinned specimens of 6H–SiC semiconductor. Cell parameters and space groups were found automatically from the reconstructed 3D diffraction volume. The extracted intensities were used for fast ab initio structure determination by direct methods.

Charoite from the Murun massif in Yakutiya, Russia (Vorob’ev 2008) was investigated using automated electron diffraction tomography (ADT) (Kolb et al. 2007, 2008; Mugnaioli et al. 2010) and precession electron diffraction (PED) (Mugnaioli et al. 2010, 2009), which allowed to determine the structure of charoite for the first time. The structure was solved ab initio in space group P21/m by direct methods using a fully kinematic approach. The least squares refinements with 2878 reflections F(hkl) >4s F converged to unweighted/weighted residuals R 1/wR 2 • 0.173/0.21 (Rozhdestvenskaya et al. 2010).

Most of the newly discovered mineral phases, as well as many new synthesized industrial materials, appear only in the form of nano crystals, with a size not sufficient for single-crystal x-ray structure analysis. The development of techniques able to investigate the structure of nano crystalline materials is therefore one of the most important frontiers of crystallography. The most widespread technique providing relatively fast and well consolidated routes for structure analysis of bulk materials is x-ray powder diffraction (XRPD). Nevertheless, XRPD suffers from intrinsic 1-dimension reduction of information that greatly limits its applicability in presence of peak broadening and overlapping. Peak broadening is usually caused by very small crystallites, namely less than 50nm. Overlapping of peaks is problematic mainly for intensity integration, but in case of polyphasic mixtures or significant amount of impurities it can be critical also for cell parameter determination and reflection indexing.