Determination of a molecular crystal structure by X-ray powder diffraction on a conventional laboratory instrument

Abstract

The crystal structure of formylurea, C₂H₄N₂O₂, has been solved and refined from X-ray powder diffraction data collected on a conventional laboratory diffractometer; this is the first previously unknown organic structure containing only light atoms to be solved by this technique, and suggests that powder diffraction has much to offer in the structure determination of organic molecular crystals.