High-pressure X-ray diffraction of L-ALANINE crystal

Abstract

L-ALANINE has been studied by X-ray diffraction at ambient temperature and pressure up to 10.3 GPa. The material is found to transform to a tetragonal structure between 2 and 3 GPa and to a monoclinic structure between 8 and 10 GPa. The experimental bulk modulus is 25(5) GPa for the orthorhombic phase. The results are compared with previous measurements of L-ALANINE.

Keywords:

• Phase transformation
• Transition pressure
• Equation of state
• X-ray diffraction
• Bulk modulus
• Amino acid

Acknowledgements

We thank HASYLAB-DESY for permission to use the synchrotron radiation facility. Part of this work was supported by the European Community, Research Infrastructure Action under the FP6 Structuring the European Research Area Programme (through the Integrated Infrastructure Initiative Integrating Activity on Synchrotron and Free-Electron Laser Science). L.G. and J.S.O. acknowledge financial support from DANSYNC.