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Biomedical subjects

Kenneth Shankland

Publications and source records attributed to Kenneth Shankland.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

Accurate molecular structures and hydrogen bonding in two polymorphs of ortho-acetamidobenzamide by single-crystal neutron diffraction.

The structures of both known forms of the polymorphic material ortho-acetamidobenzamide, C(9)H(10)N(2)O(2), have been determined by low-temperature neutron single-crystal diffraction. Neutron diffraction allows the full description of the H-atom positions in this molecular material, which is vital in benchmarking related crystal-structure predictions. Significant conformational differences are indicated by a number of the torsion angles involving H atoms when compared with previous X-ray studies. A comprehensive description of the hydrogen-bonding scheme in both polymorphs is given.

Journal Article↗

Reversible extrusion and uptake of HCl molecules by crystalline solids involving coordination bond cleavage and formation.

Yellow crystalline salts (3-XpyH)2[CuCl4] (3-XpyH = 3-halopyridinium, X = Cl, Br) lose HCl upon exposure to air in an open vessel, yielding quantitatively blue crystalline coordination compounds [CuCl2(3-Xpy)2]. The reaction is prevented if the vessel is sealed, but can be driven forward under such conditions by providing a trapping agent for HCl, such as an aqueous solution of AgNO3. The reaction requires cleavage of Cu-Cl and N-H bonds and formation of Cu-N bonds. The metal coordination geometry also changes from distorted tetrahedral to square planar. Remarkably, the reaction is fully reversible upon exposure of the blue coordination compound to vapor from a concentrated aqueous solution of HCl, and the initial yellow crystalline salt results. The structural changes occurring in these reactions have been followed by X-ray powder diffraction, including Rietveld refinement, of the crystal structures.

Journal Article↗

Single-crystal X-ray and neutron powder diffraction investigation of the phase transition in tetrachlorobenzene.

The polymorphic phase transition of 1,2,4,5-tetrachlorobenzene (TCB) has been investigated using neutron powder diffraction and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The diffraction experiments show a reversible phase change that occurs as a function of temperature with no apparent loss of sample quality on transition between the two phases. Neutron powder diffraction gives detailed information on the molecular structural changes and lattice parameters from 2 K to room temperature. The structure of the low-temperature form has been elucidated for the first time using single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Comparison of the alpha and beta structures show that they are both based on the same sheet motif, with the differences between the two being very subtle, except in terms of crystal symmetry. Detailed analysis of the structures revealed the changes required for inter-conversion. A computational polymorph search showed that these two sheet structures are more thermodynamically stable than alternative herringbone-type structures.

Journal Article↗

Indexing powder patterns in physical form screening: instrumentation and data quality.

Two multisample laboratory powder diffractometers have been evaluated for the purpose of pattern indexing in the context of physical form screening. Both diffractometers utilise foil transmission geometry, primary monochromated radiation, and a position-sensitive detector. Data collected from six compounds (sotalol hydrochloride, hydroflumethiazide, verapamil hydrochloride, captopril, clomipramine hydrochloride, and famotidine) showed good angular resolution (FWHM as small as ca. 0.06 degrees ) and lattice parameters were easily obtained using the indexing program DICVOL-91. The extent of preferred orientation in each pattern was estimated using the DASH implementation of the March-Dollase function and is most evident with clomipramine hydrochloride and famotidine. Otherwise, the data compare favorably with reference capillary data sets. In conclusion, where there is a requirement to analyze 20-30 samples per day, with an emphasis on obtaining the high-quality data that are important in pattern recognition and imperative in indexing, the combination of foil transmission geometry, primary monochromated radiation, plus a position-sensitive detector is highly effective. The data also afford opportunities for crystal structure determination.

Chemical Phenomena↗

A hybrid Monte Carlo method for crystal structure determination from powder diffraction data.

A hybrid Monte Carlo algorithm for crystal structure determination from powder diffraction data is presented. The algorithm combines the key components of molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo simulations to achieve efficient sampling of phase space, allowing the crystal structure of capsaicin to be determined from powder diffraction data more effectively than by a simulated-annealing approach. The implementation of the algorithm, the choice of the simulation parameters and the performance of the algorithm are discussed.

Journal Article↗