SAXSANA: an interactive program for the analysis and monitoring of static and time-resolved small-angle X-ray...

An interactive analytical program, SAXSANA, for small-angle X-ray scattering measurements of solutions is described. The program processes scattered data without disciplined knowledge of small-angle scattering. SAXSANA also assists in finding the best experimental conditions, thus avoiding blind runs of experiments. SAXSANA consists of the following procedures: (i) determination of the centre of scattered X-rays and moment transfer Q (Q = 4pisintheta/lambda, where 2theta is the scattering angle and lambda is the wavelength) for each measured channel; (ii) conversion of the data format to the format of Q versus scattered intensities J(Q); (iii) truncation of unnecessary data and smoothing of scattering curves by cubic-spline function; (iv) correction of the absorption effect and subtraction of the scattered intensity of the buffer (solvent) solution from that of the sample solution; (v) creation of a data file for a three-dimensional representation of time-resolved scattering curves; (vi) determination of radii of gyration by Guinier plots; (vii) determination of persistent lengths by Kratky plots; (viii) extrapolation of the small-angle part by Guinier plots; (ix) extrapolation of the wide-angle part by Porod's & Luzzati's laws for the Hankel transformation in order to obtain the distance distribution function p(r); (x) calculation of p(r) and computation of the invariant, the chord length, the Volume, the spherical radius, the maximum dimension D(max) and the radius of gyration (Rg). SAXSANA also serves as an on-site monitor for the validity of an experimental result during the measurements.