Drug Checking by MicroED

CanTEST is a health and drug-checking service in Canberra that analyses substances submitted as pills, powders, crystals and other formulations. Its established analytical methods provide rapid information about sample composition. However, emerging substances, closely related molecular analogues and compounds absent from reference libraries could remain difficult to identify unambiguously. Microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) can determine three-dimensional atomic structures from micro- and nanometre-sized crystals using very small quantities of material. In this project, the student will investigate the use of MicroED as a complementary method for identifying crystalline compounds in selected CanTEST samples. Subject to sample availability and relevant approvals, the project will seek to identify unknown or emerging compounds and distinguish between structurally similar substances. The student will gain experience in electron microscopy, crystallography, analytical chemistry and the structural characterisation of pharmaceutically and toxicologically relevant small molecules.