Computer Identification Techniques for Crystalline Compounds Using the JCPDS Powder Diffraction File as a Data Reference

Abstract

The mineralogy laboratory of the U.S. Geological Survey in Denver has developed a series of time-sharing oriented computer programs which aid in the identification of crystalline compounds from chemical and X-ray diffraction data. These programs operate on a data base compiled primarily from the Powder Diffraction File of the Joint Committee on Powder Diffraction Standards (JCPDS). Diagrammatic X-ray diffraction patterns and various search tables are products of these programs. Additional programs can retrieve information from the data base by chemical formula components or Powder Diffraction File number, and can search and match reflections of an unknown against reference patterns.