I am a TA in a structural chemistry class. The professor want me to show students how Watson and Crick determined the structure of DNA from X-ray diffraction results of DNA crystals. The professor suggested me to print some sine functions in a paper and let visible laser beam from a laser pointer to go through the sin functions to get an "X" shape diffraction pattern, just like the X-ray diffraction pattern of DNA.
I just wonder is it possible?
I think the X-ray diffraction of DNA is similar to grating diffraction. And the grating constant should be in the order of microns to be able to significantly diffract visible light. Is my professor kidding me? Or is there any possible ways for me to simulate diffraction with a paper and a laser pointer in a classroom?
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