Single crystal X-ray diffractometer

• Subject Area: Molecular Chemistry
• Term: Funded in 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 504480131

Jacobs University installed a DFG large-instrument grant funded single-crystal X-ray diffractometer (Bruker D8 SMART APEX II Kappa, single-source Mo) in April 2005. Hence, this instrument is now > 16 years old and has required regular repair visits owing to instrument shutdowns in recent years. We were informed by Bruker AXS in March 2020 that from January 2021 onwards there is no guarantee that the current instrument can still be repaired, due to missing parts (the production of this system was discontinued in 2012). This proposal is meant to replace the current instrument with a top-of-the-line dual-source (Mo/Cu) X-ray diffractometer in order to ensure that a smooth operation is possible in the coming years. In particular, the Cu-radiation (the current machine has only Mo-radiation) will allow the measurement of XRD data sets of organic as well as organometallic compounds, which is an important extension beyond the current equipment setup. This means that the organic chemists at Jacobs and in Bremen could measure their samples easily on this new machine. To date there is no dual source (Mo/Cu) X-ray diffractometer in the city state of Bremen, and hence, our colleague Prof. Jens Beckmann from University Bremen explicitly supports this proposal (see his letter attached). Single-crystal XRD is a standard technique for the solid-state structural characterization of novel compounds and materials, and hence, the single-crystal X-ray diffractometer is a mandatory instrument for Jacobs University in order to maintain world-class research standards. The instrument is to be used by all research groups (inorganic, organic, physical-organic, analytical) in the chemical sciences division at Jacobs University (see user concept and respective support letters). The current XRD machine has been used extensively since 2005 (all year long, 7 days a week), as documented by the very large number of Jacobs publications that include XRD data. In summary, the purchase of a new dual-source (Mo/Cu) single-crystal X-ray diffractometer is of pivotal importance for Jacobs University to continue world-class research, and at the same time it will provide the city state of Bremen with an instrument that it does not yet have providing, therefore, an important scientific asset for the region.

• DFG Programme: Major Research Instrumentation
• Major Instrumentation: Einkristallröntgendiffraktometer
• Instrumentation Group: 4010 Einkristall-Diffraktometer
• Applicant Institution: Constructor University Bremen
• Leader: Professor Ulrich Kortz, Ph.D.