Compact X-ray sources based on inverse Compton scattering provide brilliant and partially coherent X-rays in a laboratory environment. The cross section for inverse Compton scattering is very small, requiring high-power laser systems as well as small laser and electron beam sizes at the interaction point to generate sufficient flux. Therefore, these systems are very sensitive to distortions which change the overlap between the two beams. In order to monitor X-ray source position, size and flux in parallel to experiments, the beam-position monitor proposed here comprises a small knife edge whose image is acquired with an X-ray camera specifically designed to intercept only a very small fraction of the X-ray beam. Based on the source position drift recorded with the monitor, a closed-loop feedback stabilizes the X-ray source position by adjusting the laser beam trajectory. A decrease of long-term source position drifts by more than one order of magnitude is demonstrated with this device. Consequently, such a closed-loop feedback system which enables stabilization of source position drifts and flux of inverse Compton sources in parallel to experiments has a significant impact on the performance of these sources.

A fabrication method comprising near-field holography (NFH) with an electron beam lithography (EBL)-written phase mask was developed to fabricate soft X-ray varied-line-spacing gratings (VLSGs). An EBL-written phase mask with an area of 52 mm × 30 mm and a central line density greater than 3000 lines mm−1 was used. The introduction of the EBL-written phase mask substantially simplified the NFH optics for pattern transfer. The characterization of the groove density distribution and diffraction efficiency of the fabricated VLSGs indicates that the EBL–NFH method is feasible and promising for achieving high-accuracy groove density distributions with corresponding image properties. Vertical stray light is suppressed in the soft X-ray spectral range.

A new method based on time-resolved X-ray diffraction is proposed in order to measure the elastic strain and stress during ultrasonic fatigue loading experiments. Pure Cu was chosen as an example material for the experiments using a 20 kHz ultrasonic fatigue machine mounted on the six-circle diffractometer available at the DiffAbs beamline on the SOLEIL synchrotron facility in France. A two-dimensional hybrid pixel X-ray detector (XPAD3.2) was triggered by the strain gage signal in a synchronous data acquisition scheme (pump–probe-like). The method enables studying loading cycles with a period of 50 µs, achieving a temporal resolution of 1 µs. This allows a precise reconstruction of the diffraction patterns during the loading cycles. From the diffraction patterns, the position of the peaks, their shifts and their respective broadening can be deduced. The diffraction peak shift allows the elastic lattice strain to be estimated with a resolution of ∼10−5. Stress is calculated by the self-consistent scale-transition model through which the elastic response of the material is estimated. The amplitudes of the cyclic stresses range from 40 to 120 MPa and vary linearly with respect to the displacement applied by the ultrasonic machine. Moreover, the experimental results highlight an increase of the diffraction peak broadening with the number of applied cycles.

Nanoparticles are essential electrocatalysts in chemical production, water treatment and energy conversion, but engineering efficient and specific catalysts requires understanding complex structure–reactivity relations. Recent experiments have shown that Bragg coherent diffraction imaging might be a powerful tool in this regard. The technique provides three-dimensional lattice strain fields from which surface reactivity maps can be inferred. However, all experiments published so far have investigated particles an order of magnitude larger than those used in practical applications. Studying smaller particles quickly becomes demanding as the diffracted intensity falls. Here, in situ nanodiffraction data from 60 nm Au nanoparticles under electrochemical control collected at the hard X-ray nanoprobe beamline of MAX IV, NanoMAX, are presented. Two-dimensional image reconstructions of these particles are produced, and it is estimated that NanoMAX, which is now open for general users, has the requisites for three-dimensional imaging of particles of a size relevant for catalytic applications. This represents the first demonstration of coherent X-ray diffraction experiments performed at a diffraction-limited storage ring, and illustrates the importance of these new sources for experiments where coherence properties become crucial.

The transmission of the optical components of the Bernina branch of the Aramis beamline at SwissFEL has been measured with an X-ray gas monitor from DESY and compared with a PSI gas detector upstream of the optical components. The transmission efficiencies of the Mo, Si and SiC mirror coatings of the Aramis beamline and the various other in-beam components were evaluated and compared with theoretical calculations, showing an agreement of 6% or better in all cases. The experiment has also shown the efficacy of the high-harmonic rejection mirrors at the Bernina branch of the Aramis beamline at SwissFEL, and characterized the transmission efficiency of the on-line spectrometer in the Aramis beamline. The theoretical transmission of the mirror coatings match the experimental data to within 7%. The accuracy of these measurements was checked against a radiative bolometer from a Japanese collaboration and found to agree to a level of 4% or better. Further comparisons with a diamond detector from a US-based inter-institute collaboration demonstrated a good agreement for the attenuator settings of the beamline.

The design and performance of the high-resolution wavelength-dispersive multi-crystal von Hamos-type spectrometer at PETRA III beamline P64 are described. Extended analyzer crystal collection available at the beamline allows coverage of a broad energy range from 5 keV to 20 keV with an energy resolution of 0.35–1 eV. Particular attention was paid to enabling two-color measurements by a combination of two types of analyzer crystals and two two-dimensional detectors. The performance of the spectrometer is demonstrated by elastic-line and emission-line measurements on various compounds.

A new Rococo 2 X-ray fluorescence detector was implemented into the cryogenic sample environment at the Hard X-ray Micro/Nano-Probe beamline P06 at PETRA III, DESY, Hamburg, Germany. A four sensor-field cloverleaf design is optimized for the investigation of planar samples and operates in a backscattering geometry resulting in a large solid angle of up to 1.1 steradian. The detector, coupled with the Xspress 3 pulse processor, enables measurements at high count rates of up to 106 counts per second per sensor. The measured energy resolution of ∼129 eV (Mn Kα at 10000 counts s−1) is only minimally impaired at the highest count rates. The resulting high detection sensitivity allows for an accurate determination of trace element distributions such as in thin frozen hydrated biological specimens. First proof-of-principle measurements using continuous-movement 2D scans of frozen hydrated HeLa cells as a model system are reported to demonstrate the potential of the new detection system.

A simple and robust tool for spatio-temporal overlap of THz and XUV pulses in in-vacuum pump–probe experiments is presented. The technique exploits ultrafast changes of the optical properties in semiconductors (i.e. silicon) driven by ultrashort XUV pulses that are probed by THz pulses. This work demonstrates that this tool can be used for a large range of XUV fluences that are significantly lower than when probing by visible and near-infrared pulses. This tool is mainly targeted at emerging X-ray free-electron laser facilities, but can be utilized also at table-top high-harmonics sources.

The performance of the recently commissioned spectrometer PEAXIS for resonant inelastic soft X-ray scattering (RIXS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and its hosting beamline U41-PEAXIS at the BESSY II synchrotron are characterized. The beamline provides linearly polarized light from 180 eV to 1600 eV allowing for RIXS measurements in the range 200–1200 eV. The monochromator optics can be operated in different configurations to provide either high flux with up to 1012 photons s−1 within the focal spot at the sample or high energy resolution with a full width at half maximum of <40 meV at an incident photon energy of ∼400 eV. The measured total energy resolution of the RIXS spectrometer is in very good agreement with theoretically predicted values obtained by ray-tracing simulations. PEAXIS features a 5 m-long RIXS spectrometer arm that can be continuously rotated about the sample position by 106° within the horizontal photon scattering plane, thus enabling the study of momentum-transfer-dependent excitations. Selected scientific examples are presented to demonstrate the instrument capabilities, including measurements of excitations in single-crystalline NiO and in liquid acetone employing a fluid cell sample manipulator. Planned upgrades of the beamline and the RIXS spectrometer to further increase the energy resolution to ∼100 meV at 1000 eV incident photon energy are discussed.

Multilayer monochromator devices are commonly used at (imaging) beamlines of synchrotron facilities to shape the X-ray beam to relatively small bandwidth and high intensity. However, stripe artefacts are often observed and can deteriorate the image quality. Although the intensity distribution of these artefacts has been described in the literature, their spectral distribution is currently unknown. To assess the spatio-spectral properties of the monochromated X-ray beam, the direct beam has been measured for the first time using a hyperspectral X-ray detector. The results show a large number of spectral features with different spatial distributions for a [Ru, B4C] strip monochromator, associated primarily with the higher-order harmonics of the undulator and monochromator. It is found that their relative contributions are sufficiently low to avoid an influence on the imaging data. The [V, B4C] strip suppresses these high-order harmonics even more than the former, yet at the cost of reduced efficiency.

Collecting back-scattered X-rays from vacuum windows using a pinhole X-ray camera provides an efficient and reliable method of measuring the beam shape and position of the white synchrotron beam. In this paper, measurements are presented that were conducted at ESRF beamline ID6 which uses an in-vacuum cryogenically cooled permanent-magnet undulator (CPMU18) and a traditional U32 undulator as its radiation sources, allowing tests to be performed at very high power density levels that were adjusted by changing the gap of the undulators. These measurements show that it is possible to record beam shape and beam position using a simple geometry without having to place any further items in the beam path. With this simple test setup it was possible to record the beam position with a root-mean-square noise figure of 150 nm.

A new setup for picosecond pump–probe X-ray scattering at the Austrian SAXS beamline at Elettra-Sincrotrone Trieste is presented. A high-power/high-repetion-rate laser has been installed on-site, delivering UV/VIS/IR femto­second-pulses in-sync with the storage ring. Data acquisition is achieved by gating a multi-panel detector, capable of discriminating the single X-ray pulse in the dark-gap of the Elettra hybrid filling mode. Specific aspects of laser- and detection-synchronization, on-line beam steering as well protocols for spatial and temporal overlap of laser and X-ray beam are also described. The capabilities of the setup are demonstrated by studying transient heat-transfer in an In/Al/GaAs superlattice structure and results are confirmed by theoretical calculations.

Beamline 8A (BL 8A) is an undulator-based soft X-ray beamline at Pohang Accelerator Laboratory. This beamline is aimed at high-resolution ambient-pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (AP-XPS), soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy (soft-XAS) and scanning photoemission microscopy (SPEM) experiments. BL 8A has two branches, 8A1 SPEM and 8A2 AP-XPS, that share a plane undulator, the first mirror (M1) and the monochromator. The photon beam is switched between the two branches by changing the refocusing mirrors after the monochromator. The acceptance angle of M1 is kept glancing at 1.2°, and Pt is coated onto the mirrors to achieve high reflectance, which ensures a wide photon energy range (100–2000 eV) with high resolution at a photon flux of ∼1013 photons s−1. In this article, the main properties and performance of the beamline are reported, together with selected experiments performed on the new beamline and experimental system.

With the introduction of the multi-bend achromats in the new fourth-generation storage rings the emittance has decreased by an order of magnitude resulting in increased brightness. However, the higher brightness comes with smaller beam sizes and narrower radiation cones. As a consequence, the requirements on mechanical stability regarding the beamline components increases. Here an innovative five-axis parallel kinematic mirror unit for use with soft X-ray beamlines using off-axis grazing-incidence optics is presented. Using simulations and measurements from the HIPPIE beamline at the MAX IV Laboratory it is shown that it has no Eigen frequencies below 90 Hz. Its positioning accuracy is better than 25 nm linearly and 17–35 µrad angularly depending on the mirror chamber dimensions.

Possibilities in auxiliary technique combinations with small- and wide-angle X ray scattering are described, as well as more complicated sample environments used in X-ray and neutron scattering.

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Death-associated protein kinase 1 (DAPK1) was found to form a complex with purpurin and the crystal structure of the complex was determined. Purpurin may be a good lead compound for for the discovery of inhibitors of DAPK1.

From the perspective of a young(ish) structural biologist who currently specialises in macromolecular X-ray crystallography, are the best years of crystallography over? Some evidence and hopefully thought-provoking analysis is presented here on the subject.

The structure of the title compound, C24H26S2, an example of a pincer ligand with an SCS-chelation motif, illustrates the steric effects of the methyl groups in the thio­phenyl rings at the 2- and 6-positions, forcing a dissimilar spatial orientation of the thio­phenyl rings relative to the central aryl group [dihedral angles = 33.58 (7) and 40.49 (7)°]. In the crystal, weak S⋯S contacts [3.4009 (7) Å] link the mol­ecules into inversion dimers.

In the complex cation of title compound, [Fe(C56H52N4)(C5H8N2)2]ClO4·1.5C6H5Cl, the ironIII atom is coordinated in a distorted octa­hedral manner by four pyrrole N atoms of the porphyrin ring system in the equatorial plane, and by two N atoms of the 1-ethyl­imidazole ligands in the axial sites. A disordered perchlorate anion and one and a half chloro­benzene solvent mol­ecules are also present. The cationic complex exhibits a highly ruffled porphyrin core. The average Fe—Np (Np is a porphyrin N atom) bond length is 1.988 (5), and the axial Fe—NIm (NIm is an imidazole N atom) bond lengths are 1.962 (3) and 1.976 (3) Å. The two 1-ethyl­imidazole ligands are inclined to each other by a dihedral angle of 68.62 (16)°. The dihedral angles between the 1-ethyl­imidazole planes and the planes of the closest Fe—Np vector are 28.52 (18) and 43.57 (13)°. Inter­molecular C—H⋯Cl inter­actions are observed.

In the crystal structure of the title compound, [Sn(C42H26N6)(C7H5O2)2], the SnIV ion is located on a crystallographic inversion centre and is octa­hedrally coordinated with an N4O2 set. Four N atoms of the porphyrin ring form the equatorial plane while the axial positions are occupied by two O atoms from benzoate anions. The molecular packing of the title complex involves non-classical hydrogen bonds of the types C—H⋯O and C—H⋯N, leading to a three-dimensional network structure.

The title compound, [Co(NCS)2(C15H22N2O2)2] or C32H44CoN6O4S2, was prepared from cobalt(II) nitrate, benzyl carbazate and ammonium thio­cyanate in the presence of 4-hepta­none. The compound crystallizes with two centrosymmetric complexes in which the cobalt(II) atoms have a trans-CoO2N4 octa­hedral coordination geometry. In the crystal, N—H⋯S, C—H⋯S and C—H⋯.π contacts stack the complex mol­ecules along the b-axis direction.

In the title compound, [Cd2(C9H6O5)2(H2O)2]n, the crystallographically distinct CdII cations are coordinated in penta­gonal–bipyramidal and octa­hedral fashions. The 2-(carb­oxy­meth­oxy)benzoate (cmb) ligands connect the Cd atoms into [Cd2(cmb)2(H2O)2)]n coordination polymer ribbons that are oriented along the a-axis direction. Supra­molecular layers are formed parallel to (01overline{1}) by O—H⋯O hydrogen bonding between the ribbons. The supra­molecular three-dimensional crystal structure of the title compound is then constructed by π–π stacking inter­actions with a centroid–centroid distance of 3.622 (2) Å between cmb ligands in adjacent layer motifs.

The asymmetric unit of the title sulfodi­imide, C22H22N2OS, consists of two crystallographically independent mol­ecules with similar conformations The environment around each sulfur atom is a slightly distorted tetra­hedron with two S=N bonds and two S—C bonds. The S= N(m-methyl­benzo­yl) and S=N(NEt) bond lengths are 1.584 (3) and 1.528 (2) Å, respectively, for one mol­ecule, and 1.575 (2) and 1.529 (3) Å, respectively, for the other. The dihedral angles between the two phenyl rings in the mol­ecules are 86.76 (8) and 82.49 (8)°. The N—S—N—C(m-methyl­benzo­yl) and N—S—N—C(eth­yl) torsion angles are −60.5 (2) and −50.28 (19)°, respectively, for one mol­ecule, and 62.9 (2) and 44.2 (3)°, respectively, for the other. In the crystal, each independent mol­ecule is linked to its inversion-related mol­ecule via a pair of C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming a dimer.

The title compound, C6Cl4I2·C6H6, crystallizes from benzene solution as cube-shaped crystals in the triclinic space group Poverline{1} with Z = 1. The asymmetric unit of the crystal structure contains one half of each mol­ecule. In the crystal, the benzene ring is almost orthogonal to the perhalo­benzene ring and the mol­ecules are linked by C—I⋯π inter­actions, with a close contact between the iodine atom and the benzene ring of 3.412 (1) Å.

The title compound, [Ag2(C2H3O2)2(C19H20N2)2] (2), was readily synthesized by treatment of 3-benzyl-1-(2,4,6-tri­methyl­phen­yl)imidazolium chloride with silver acetate. The solution structure of the complex was analyzed by NMR spectroscopy, while the solid-state structure was confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. Compound 2 crystallizes in the triclinic space group Poverline{1}, with a silver-to-carbene bond length (Ag—CNHC) of 2.084 (3) Å. The mol­ecule resides on an inversion center, so that only half of the mol­ecule is crystallographically unique. The planes defined by the two imidazole rings are parallel to each other, but not coplanar [inter­planar distance is 0.662 (19) Å]. The dihedral angles between the imidazole ring and the benzyl and mesityl rings are 77.87 (12) and 72.86 (11)°, respectively. The crystal structure features π–π stacking inter­actions between the benzylic groups of inversion-related (−x + 1, −y + 1, −z + 1) mol­ecules and C—H⋯π inter­actions.

Single crystals of the title complex, [Zn(C7H5N2O4)2(C2H6OS)2] or [Zn(NBZH)2(DMSO)2], were isolated from a dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) solution containing [Zn(NBZH)2]·2H2O (NBZH = 3-nitro­benzo­hydroxamate anion). The asymmetric unit comprises of one O,O'-chelating NBZH anion, one O-bound DMSO ligand and one zinc(II) cation localized on an inversion centre. The three-dimensional crystal packing includes N—H⋯O and C—H⋯O hydrogen bonding, as well as O⋯H and H⋯H contacts identified by Hirshfeld isosurface analysis.

The title complex, [RuCl(C10H14)(C10H8N2)](C24H20B), has monoclinic (P21) symmetry at 100 K. It was prepared by the reaction of the di­chlor­ido[1-methyl-4-(propan-2-yl)benzene]­ruthenium(II) dimer with 2,2'-bi­pyridine, followed by the addition of ammonium tetra­phenyl­borate. The 1-methyl-4-(propan-2-yl)benzene group, the 2,2'-bi­pyridine unit and a chloride ion coordinate the ruthenium(II) atom, with the 1-methyl-4-(propan-2-yl)benzene ring and bi­pyridine moieties trans to each other. In the crystal, the complex cations are linked by C—H⋯Cl hydrogen bonds, forming chains parallel to [010]. These chains are linked by a number of C—H⋯π inter­actions, involving the phenyl rings of the tetra­phenyl­borate anion and a pyridine ring of the bpy ligand, resulting in the formation of layers parallel to (10overline{1}).

In the title compound, [Zn(C9H6O4)]n, the ZnII cations are coordinated in a tetra­hedral fashion by carboxyl­ate O-atom donors belonging to four 4-(carb­oxy­meth­yl) benzoate (4-cmb) ligands. Each 4-cmb ligand binds to four ZnII cations in an exo­tetra­dentate fashion to create a non-inter­penetrated [Zn(4-cmb)]n three-dimensional coordination polymer network with a new non-diamondoid 66 topology. The crystal studied was refined as an inversion twin.

In the title compound, C16H19NSe, the dihedral angle between the benzene rings is 66.49 (12) and a weak intra­molecular N—H⋯Se hydrogen bond generates an S(6) ring. In the crystal, weak N—H⋯N hydrogen bonds link the mol­ecules into [100] chains.

The title salt, C24H27N2OS+·BF4−, was prepared by an alkyl­ation at the amino N atom attached to the sulfur atom of the corresponding sulfodi­imide. The configuration around the sulfur atom is a slightly distorted tetra­hedral geometry with two S—N bonds and two S—C bonds. The lengths of the S—N(di­ethyl­amine) and S=N(m-methyl­benzoyl­imine) bonds are 1.619 (2) and 1.551 (2) Å, respectively. The two N—S—N—C(eth­yl) and the N—S—N—C(m-methyl­benzoyl­imine) torsion angles are −85.43 (3), 58.94 (17) and 62.03 (16)°, respectively. The dihedral angle between the two phenyl rings is 84.03 (14)°. In the crystal, C—H⋯F hydrogen bonds link the cation and anion, forming a three-dimensional network.

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, [Fe(C5H5)(C12H7ClNO)], consists of one ferrocenyl group bonded to chloro­benzo[d]oxazole. The conformation of the ferrocenyl moiety is slightly away from eclipsed. The bond angles between the 5-chloro-benzoxazole and ferrocenyl fragments are N—C—C = 127.4 (7)° and O—C—C = 116.8 (7)°. The benzo[d]oxazole ring is planar (r.m.s. deviation = 0.0042 Å) and makes an angle of 11.3 (4)° with the cyclo­penta­dienyl ring attached to it. The crystal packing is characterized by inter­molecular π–π contacts, resulting in chain formation along the b-axis direction. The centroid-to-centroid distance between the six- and five-membered rings is 3.650 (5) Å. Together with a C—H⋯π inter­action, these inter­molecular contacts form laminar arrays along the ac plane.

In the title compound, C7H4N2O3S, the dihedral angle between the fused ring system (r.m.s. deviation = 0.008 Å) and the nitro group at the 6-position is 7.3 (2)°. In the crystal, bifurcated N—H⋯(O,O) hydrogen bonds link the mol­ecules into [010] chains. The chains are cross-linked by π–π stacking inter­actions to form (001) sheets.

In the title sulfanilamide derivative, C15H13NO2S, which shows significant activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, the dihedral angle between the planes of the aromatic rings is 62.15 (19)° and the four-coordinate S atom adopts an almost ideal tetra­hedral geometry. In the crystal, N—H⋯O and C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds link the mol­ecules into a three-dimensional network.