Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Recrystallization: Solid–Solution Equilibria01:10

Recrystallization: Solid–Solution Equilibria

Recrystallization is a purification technique used to separate impurities from solid compounds. In this technique, no chemical reactions occur. Instead, it exploits physical properties only, specifically, the solubility differences between the desired compound and impurities, either at a single temperature or at different temperatures, and under other selected conditions. The solid-solution equilibrium (solubility equilibrium) of each component in the solution represents a binary phase...
Crystal Growth: Principles of Crystallization01:25

Crystal Growth: Principles of Crystallization

Crystallization is a phase transformation process in which crystals are precipitated from a supersaturated solution or formed from other sources. During crystallization, atoms or molecules arrange themselves into a well-defined, rigid crystal lattice to minimize energy.
Initiating crystallization involves manipulating the concentration of the solute and the temperature of the solution. Since crystal growth occurs when the ratio of concentration and solubility of the solute in the solvent – the...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Antibiotic class with potent in vivo activity targeting lipopolysaccharide synthesis in Gram-negative bacteria.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2024
Same author

Screening cells for crystals: a synergistic approach.

Journal of applied crystallography·2020
Same author

Author Correction: Inhibition of translation termination by small molecules targeting ribosomal release factors.

Scientific reports·2020
Same author

Inhibition of translation termination by small molecules targeting ribosomal release factors.

Scientific reports·2019
Same author

Targeting an Aromatic Hotspot in Plasmodium falciparum 1-Deoxy-d-xylulose-5-phosphate Reductoisomerase with β-Arylpropyl Analogues of Fosmidomycin.

ChemMedChem·2016
Same author

Synthesis and bioactivity of β-substituted fosmidomycin analogues targeting 1-deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate reductoisomerase.

Journal of medicinal chemistry·2015

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 17, 2026

Optimization of Crystal Growth for Neutron Macromolecular Crystallography
12:29

Optimization of Crystal Growth for Neutron Macromolecular Crystallography

Published on: March 13, 2021

Screening and optimization methods for nonautomated crystallization laboratories.

Terese Bergfors1

  • 1Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.

Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.)
|February 3, 2007
PubMed
Summary

Manual methods for biological macromolecule crystallization, including screening and optimization, are detailed. This guide covers vapor diffusion and microbatch techniques for successful protein crystallization.

More Related Videos

High-Throughput Screening to Obtain Crystal Hits for Protein Crystallography
06:19

High-Throughput Screening to Obtain Crystal Hits for Protein Crystallography

Published on: March 10, 2023

Automated Protocols for Macromolecular Crystallization at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology
11:20

Automated Protocols for Macromolecular Crystallization at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology

Published on: January 24, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 17, 2026

Optimization of Crystal Growth for Neutron Macromolecular Crystallography
12:29

Optimization of Crystal Growth for Neutron Macromolecular Crystallography

Published on: March 13, 2021

High-Throughput Screening to Obtain Crystal Hits for Protein Crystallography
06:19

High-Throughput Screening to Obtain Crystal Hits for Protein Crystallography

Published on: March 10, 2023

Automated Protocols for Macromolecular Crystallization at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology
11:20

Automated Protocols for Macromolecular Crystallization at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology

Published on: January 24, 2018

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Structural Biology
  • Crystallography

Background:

  • Biological macromolecule crystallization is increasingly automated.
  • Manual methods remain relevant in many laboratories for specific aspects of crystallization.
  • A typical project involves screening followed by optimization.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe manual procedures for biological macromolecule crystallization screening and optimization.
  • To provide detailed protocols for vapor diffusion and microbatch methods.
  • To cover essential techniques for successful crystallization experiments.

Main Methods:

  • Manual screening using vapor diffusion and microbatch methods in 96- and 24-well plate formats.
  • Optimization protocols including grid and additive screens, seeding, and drop kinetics manipulation.
  • Methods for scoring crystallization results and distinguishing protein from salt crystals.

Main Results:

  • Detailed procedures for manual screening and optimization are presented.
  • Various techniques for enhancing crystallization success are described.
  • Guidance on evaluating and interpreting crystallization outcomes is provided.

Conclusions:

  • Manual crystallization techniques remain valuable tools in biological research.
  • Comprehensive protocols facilitate successful screening and optimization.
  • Effective scoring and crystal identification are crucial for advancing structural studies.