Round Robin 2002 First comment - It is a very nice idea this challenges! It's a nice way to be kept "on the road" of what is being done… Thank you! Second comment - I've very little time do the 1st round, as I had to go to another cities laboratory to do the matches because I don't have an apparatus near me that I can use. So, no time to do print screens and a second checks. Just enough time to collect some information... Sorry, it's what I could do… Software information - Software for X-ray diffraction PHILIPS. X'PERT graphics and Identify. Data base - ICDD 2000. Sample 1. About sample 1, the geologist said: please, can you identify the phases in that powder? Probably this is not single phase. Bragg-Brentano geometry - Cu-Kalpha. First matches were: 30-0276 Ca4Sm6O2(PO4)2(SiO4)4 28-1216 Sr2Er8(SiO4)6O2 17-0709 TaO 77-0120 Ca5F(PO4)3 73-1727 Ca5(PO4)3F 74-2348 Ca4.33Sr.51La.16(PO4)3(OH).5F. ... My guess...: It can be 30-0276 Ca4Sm6O2(PO4)2(SiO4)4 plus 77-0120 Ca5F(PO4)3 (or 73-1727 Ca5(PO4)3F) plus 72-1140 Li2SiO3 plus 50-1301 Sm2Se3 It could have 17-0709 TaO, 28-1216 Sr2Er8(SiO4)6O2, 74-2348 Ca4.33Sr.51La.16(PO4)3(OH).5F., 83-0136 La(Ni4Co)D6.12, 49-0596 Zn(NO3)2!6H20, 86-0740 Ca5(PO4)3(OH), 83-0545 GeO2. At least I think that it could be a phosphate or a silicate… There are still some important peaks left to explain: d = 6.60328Ĺ, d = 4.22028Ĺ Sample 2. About sample 2, the chemist said: please, can you tell me if this powder from my last synthesis contains phases listed in the PDF? In fact, it could be single phase. Transmission geometry - Capillary - Cu-Kalpha-1. First matches were: 26-1993 C8H20NF6U 81-1496 CaZr1.24Sn1.26O7 20-0485 InF5(OH) 83-1431 K2ZnF4 42-1266 Ag2Te 23-0502 K2ZnF4 My guess...: None of the phases seem to really match. But 26-1993 C8H20NF6U seems to be the best choice although in the sample we cannot see the second and third peaks. Could it be an isostructure of 26-1993 C8H20NF6U? (still some peaks would be left to explain…) It could have 20-0485 InF5(OH), 42-1266 Ag2Te, 02-0770 Co2O3, 19-0192 CdTe. As I'm not a Chemist, I went to the internet to see if my choice had a meaning: http://www.epa.gov/rol/reports/cwa311.txt Chemical(s) which belong to the List: CWA 311 HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES Sorted By: Chemical Name 541-09-3 URANIUM, BIS(ACETATO-O)DIOXO-, (T-4)- So, He could be working with uranium! And also, http://www.allchemie.thomasregister.com/olc/allchemie/home.htm The highlighted elements in the Periodic Table shown below represent elements and their compounds carried by All-Chemie. Click on the appropriate group to view more specific information on the chemicals or compounds you are interested in. All-Chemie also features an offering of ORGANOMETALLIC COMPOUNDS and CUSTOM SYNTHESIS. Was selling uranium compounds… Sample 3. About sample 3, the pharmaceutical engineer said: please, would you be able to identify the phases in that powder from a search in the PDF? Bragg-Brentano geometry - Cu-Kalpha - Sample dusted through a sieve for avoiding preferred orientation. First matches were: 85-2433 Na2.667Nb6P4O26 41-1610 C6H12O6!0.5NaBr!0.5H2O 28-1734 C6H10N2NiO4!3H2O 76-1091 SbCl6(OH)O(ClO4) 48-1121 C2H3NO5Sr!1.5H2O 21-1629 C19H18O8 My guess...: In the first match we have 85-2433 Na2.667Nb6P4O26 but it has 2 peaks that are not in the sample and the most intense peaks are not there. Looking at: International Nonproprietary Names for Pharmaceutical Substances (INN) http://www.who.int/druginformation/vol15num2_2001/Final%20list%2085.pdf as I'm not a pharmaceutical, it doesn't seem like a Pharmaceutical Substance (but I did not have the time to do a complete search and e should always be careful, specially when the information is so scarce!). It seems more possible to me that it could have 41-1610 C6H12O6!0.5NaBr!0.5H2O but still there were some peaks not present in the sample (the first one for instance) and sample's most intense peaks were still left to explain. It seems to me very possible that it has 28-1734 C6H10N2NiO4!3H2O (but sample's most intense peaks do not stay covered so it must have other phase or phases). It can also have 48-1121 C2H3NO5Sr!1.5H2O and 21-1629 C19H18O8 and 36-1746 C2H3N3S2 and 36-0528 CaSO3!0.5H2O and 31-1530 C3H6N4O3!H2O and 50-1673 (Co(NH3)5(CO3)NO3!0.5H2O and 24-1825 C10H24I2N4Ni. It could probably have 76-1091 Sb2Cl6(OH)O(ClO4) if we could explain the non existence in the sample of the first 3 peaks! It could have 38-1125 BaMnFeF (?) and 82-2352 NaMgFe(SO4)3 (?) and 73-0411 CaB3O3(OH)5(H2O) (it is a mineral!) and 80-0164 (Pb0.92Ba0.08)3(PO4)2 (phosphate? Internet revealed that it is closely linked with agronomy and that we can recycle it from sewage and animal wastes. So, why not pharmaceutical? But, Pb is cancerigenous!) and 31-1499 ZrTiF15 (?) and 79-1319 (KCu3OCl(SO4)2 (it is a mineral!). Maybe the pharmaceutical engineering was trying some powder for the feet of our Portuguese and French football players?! (They'll need it for the next Mundial!) Could a pharmaceutical engineering be working with uranium!!! Because, it seems like it could have: 43-0354 MoUO6!2H2O and 13-0215 Na(H3O)UO2(SiO4)!xH2O and 78-0520 CuU6S13!!! (I've only found that it is toxic to nature creatures as I was expecting! Sorry, a closer look putted some bacteria away from these list: http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/~microbio/oht.html (A long-term study in my laboratory has been to characterize dissolution processes using research-grade minerals as well as ores and concentrates. These bacteria have application for processing of copper-, uranium-, and precious metal-containing ore materials in the mining industry. We have also shown that anaerobic sulfate reducing-bacteria can also be involved in biogeochemical transformations by using solid-phase electron acceptors.) Sample 4. About sample 4, the laboratory director said: I have received an industrial processing plant sample, please could you realize a powder pattern and then a search-match on it? Bragg-Brentano geometry - Cu-Kalpha. First matches were: 80-1934 Ca2Ho(RuO6) 50-1779 Nd2Y2O3F6 23-0333 Pb5O4SO4 84-1029 TaNi3S8 84-1022 Cs3Cr2Br9 35-1482 PbO My guess...: As I don't know of what is the plant I don't see really why it cannot have 80-1934 Ca2Ho(RuO6) (although the first 3 peaks I've doubts if they appear in the sample) and 50-1779 Nd2Y2O3F6 and 84-1029 TaNi3S8 and 84-1022 Cs3Cr2Br9 but my guess is that it can have 23-0333 Pb5O4SO4 and 35-1482 PbO (but still the first peak in the sample is not explained). It can also have 80-1274 Ca2Cr0.5Fe1.5O5 and 88-0827 Cu2GeS3? It was assumed that the powder in a plant was inorganic but was it well assumed? My internet research revealed that it could be battery waste: http://www.unep.or.jp/ietc/Publications/Integrative/EnTA/AEET/Final_Report/3.asp "The typical lead battery consists of 17% metallic lead, 50% lead oxide/sulfate, 24% electrolyte, 5% plastics and 4% (and reducing) inert residuals."