Dr. Eric Reinheimer completed his B.S. and M.S. degrees from California State Polytechnic Uni  versity @ Pomona in Chemistry in 2000 and 2002 respectively.  In 2007, he received his Ph.D. from Texas A&M University under the direction of Professor Kim Dunbar studying charge transfer co-crystals and conducting systems composed of tetrathiafulvalene (TTF).  From 2007-2009, he completed a postdoctoral research fellowship in the lab of Professor Doug Rees at the California Institute of Technology studying the enzyme nitrogenase.  In 2009, he received a Chateaubriand Fellowship from the French government to conduct research in the lab of Professor Marc Fourmigue at the University of Rennes on the synthesis and condensed matter physics of organic conductors and superconductors.  After a short stint back at Texas A&M, he took a post in 2010 at California State University San Marcos where he served as both a staff crystallographer and an adjunct professor in both the departments of chemistry and physics.  In 2015, he left Cal State to become a Senior Applications Scientist in Small Molecule Crystallography for Rigaku and later switched to the sales group in 2018 where he not only works with universities and companies on finding solutions to fulfill their structural goals, but also collects data (from time-to-time) and assists many groups around the world with figuring out problem structures.  Eric has served as a reviewer for many different peer-reviewed journals and has been named a co-editor for Acta Crystallographica Section C as well as an Associate Editor for Frontiers in Chemistry.   

Single crystal X-ray diffraction:  A 30,000-foot view

Investigating solid-state structures at the atomic level is essential to understanding how molecules and molecular systems function.   From DNA and proteins to catalysts, metal-organic frameworks, coordination compounds and organics, an understanding of each system’s structure and how those individual molecules orient themselves in the solid state, i.e. crystals, allows the scientist access to understanding how each might function.  To date, the use of single crystal X-ray diffraction remains the primary avenue by which a solid-state structural model can be elucidated.  While the fundamentals of X-ray diffraction are consistent regardless of the system being studied, it is often necessary to consider the nature of the system as well as the goals of the diffraction experiment when choosing the proper wavelength with which to collect the data.  In this presentation, we will discuss the fundamentals of X-ray diffraction, how to decide upon the best radiation source with which to collect your data as a function of sample type, crystal size and goals for the diffraction experiment as well as some results obtained when the correct wavelength is chosen.