Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 20, 2026

On-Chip Crystallization and Large-Scale Serial Diffraction at Room Temperature
Published on: March 11, 2022
High resolution imaging as a characterization tool for biological crystals
Vivian Stojanoff1, B Cappelle, Y Epelboin
1National Synchrotron Light Source, Brookhaven National Laboratories, Upton, NY 11973, USA. stojanof@bnl.gov
Abstract:
Biomolecular crystals consist of large unit cells that form a rather flexible medium that is able to accommodate a certain degree of lattice distortion, leading to several interesting issues ranging from structural to physical properties. Several techniques, from X-ray diffraction to microscopy, have been adapted to study the structural and physical properties of biomolecular crystals systematically. The use of synchrotron-based monochromatic X-ray diffraction topography, with triple axis diffractometry and rocking curve measurements, to characterize biomolecular crystals is reviewed. Recent X-ray diffraction images from gel and solution grown lysozyme crystals are presented. Defect structures in these crystals are discussed, together with reciprocal space mapping, and compared with results obtained from crystals grown in a low gravity environment.
Related Concept Videos
X-ray Diffraction of Biological Samples
According to Bragg's law, when X-rays strike the sample positioned on a stage, the rays are scattered by the electron clouds around the sample atoms. The X-ray diffraction or scattering is caused by constructive interference of the X-ray waves that reflect off the internal crystal...
Super-resolution Fluorescence Microscopy
Determination of Crystal Structures
Cryo-electron Microscopy

