X-ray diffraction is an analytical technique that identifies and provides information about crystalline materials such as minerals or inorganic compounds. XRD scatters monochromatic x-rays through a sample material with randomly oriented crystal structures. The diffractometer reads the intensity of the diffracted x-rays from several angles, gathering a diffraction pattern that is characteristic of the sample material. ATS runs the pattern against the International Centre for Diffraction Data (ICDD) diffraction pattern database, which supplies hundreds of thousands of reference patterns, to determine exactly which compounds are present.