Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

$X-ray Diffraction of Biological Samples$ 01:10

X-ray Diffraction of Biological Samples

X-ray diffraction or XRD is an analytical tool that utilizes X-rays to study ordered structures such as crystalline organic and inorganic samples, polycrystalline materials, proteins, carbohydrates, and drugs.
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...

X-ray Crystallography

X-ray Crystallography

The size of the unit cell and the arrangement of atoms in a crystal may be determined from measurements of the diffraction of X-rays by the crystal, termed X-ray crystallography.
Diffraction
Diffraction is the change in the direction of travel experienced by an electromagnetic wave when it encounters a physical barrier whose dimensions are comparable to those of the wavelength of the light. X-rays are electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths about as long as the distance between neighboring...

Determination of Crystal Structures

Determination of Crystal Structures

In the late 1800s, the revelation that light extended beyond visible wavelengths led to the discovery of X-rays by Wilhelm Roentgen. Recognized as high-energy electromagnetic radiation with short wavelengths, X-rays prompted exploration into their interaction with crystals. Max von Laue proposed in 1912 that the periodic arrangement of atoms, ions, or molecules in crystals would cause them to diffract X-rays, a hypothesis confirmed through experiments with copper sulfate and zinc sulfide...

Electron Microscope Tomography and Single-particle Reconstruction

Electron Microscope Tomography and Single-particle Reconstruction

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) can be used to determine the 3D structure of biological samples with the help of techniques such as electron microscope tomography and single-particle reconstruction. While single-particle reconstruction can examine macromolecules and macromolecular complexes in vitro conditions only, tomography permits the study of cell components or small cells in vivo.
Electron Tomography
Electron tomography can be performed either in TEM or STEM (scanning transmission...

Super-resolution Fluorescence Microscopy

Super-resolution Fluorescence Microscopy

Super-resolution fluorescence microscopy (SRFM) provides a better resolution than conventional fluorescence microscopy by reducing the point spread function (PSF). PSF is the light intensity distribution from a point that causes it to appear blurred. Due to PSF, each fluorescing point appears bigger than its actual size, and it is the PSF interference of nearby fluorophores that causes the blurred image. Various approaches to achieving higher resolution through SRFM have recently been...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Acyclic serinol nucleic acid modification of siRNAs overcomes seed region mediated off-target effects while maintaining potency.

Nucleic acids research·2026

Same author

A metal ion-dependent mechanism promoting gain of function in NEIL1 variants.

International journal of radiation biology·2026

Same author

Synthesis of siRNAs containing carbocyclic nucleotides and the role of cyclopentane conformation in RNAi activity.

RSC chemical biology·2026

Same author

New targets and procedures for validating the valence geometry of nucleic acid structures.

Nucleic acids research·2026

Same author

Protocols to evaluate mutant specificity of an oncogene-targeting siRNA using orthogonal in vitro and in vivo approaches.

STAR protocols·2026

Same author

Synthesis and Biophysical Properties of 3'-Deoxy-β-d-apio-d-furanosyl Nucleic Acids.

ACS chemical biology·2025

Same journal

Synthesis of Unmodified Oligonucleotides.

Current protocols in nucleic acid chemistry·2022

Same journal

Biophysical Analysis of Nucleic Acids.

Current protocols in nucleic acid chemistry·2022

Same journal

RNA Folding Pathways.

Current protocols in nucleic acid chemistry·2022

Same journal

Nucleic Acid Binding Molecules.

Current protocols in nucleic acid chemistry·2022

Same journal

Biologically Active Nucleosides.

Current protocols in nucleic acid chemistry·2020

Same journal

Biologically Active Nucleosides.

Current protocols in nucleic acid chemistry·2020

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 20, 2026

Biochemical and Structural Characterization of the Carbohydrate Transport Substrate-binding-protein SP0092

Biochemical and Structural Characterization of the Carbohydrate Transport Substrate-binding-protein SP0092

Published on: October 2, 2017

Diffraction Techniques in Structural Biology.

¹Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee.

Current Protocols in Nucleic Acid Chemistry

|June 2, 2016

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Atomic-resolution structural data, obtained through diffraction methods like X-ray crystallography, are crucial for understanding molecular mechanisms. Advances in technology have significantly improved the detail and accessibility of these molecular images.

Keywords:

X-ray crystallography crystallization diffraction electron microscopy neutron scattering structural biology

More Related Videos

$Microfluidic Chips for In Situ Crystal X-ray Diffraction and In Situ Dynamic Light Scattering for Serial Crystallography$

Microfluidic Chips for In Situ Crystal X-ray Diffraction and In Situ Dynamic Light Scattering for Serial Crystallography

Published on: April 24, 2018

$On-Chip Crystallization and Large-Scale Serial Diffraction at Room Temperature$

On-Chip Crystallization and Large-Scale Serial Diffraction at Room Temperature

Published on: March 11, 2022

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 20, 2026

Biochemical and Structural Characterization of the Carbohydrate Transport Substrate-binding-protein SP0092

Biochemical and Structural Characterization of the Carbohydrate Transport Substrate-binding-protein SP0092

Published on: October 2, 2017

$Microfluidic Chips for In Situ Crystal X-ray Diffraction and In Situ Dynamic Light Scattering for Serial Crystallography$

Microfluidic Chips for In Situ Crystal X-ray Diffraction and In Situ Dynamic Light Scattering for Serial Crystallography

Published on: April 24, 2018

$On-Chip Crystallization and Large-Scale Serial Diffraction at Room Temperature$

On-Chip Crystallization and Large-Scale Serial Diffraction at Room Temperature

Published on: March 11, 2022

Area of Science:

Structural Biology
Biophysics
Biochemistry

Background:

Atomic-resolution structural data are essential for understanding chemical and biological functions.
Diffraction techniques, including single-crystal X-ray crystallography, electron microscopy, and neutron diffraction, are foundational to structural biology.
Recent advancements in sample preparation, crystallization, sources, phasing, and computation have revolutionized molecular imaging.

Purpose of the Study:

To provide an overview of diffraction methods in structural biology.
To detail the process of single-crystal X-ray structure determination.
To serve as a guide for both novices and researchers utilizing structural data.

Main Methods:

Overview of established diffraction techniques (X-ray crystallography, electron microscopy, neutron diffraction).
Detailed description of single-crystal X-ray structure determination workflow.
Discussion of key stages: synthesis/expression, phasing, refinement, analysis, and quality control.

Main Results:

Modern structural biology benefits from decades of advances in experimental and computational techniques.
High-resolution molecular images are now more accessible to both specialists and non-specialists.
The described methods yield unprecedented detail in molecular structures.

Conclusions:

Atomic-resolution structural data are indispensable for comprehending molecular mechanisms.
Single-crystal X-ray crystallography remains a powerful technique for structure determination.
This work serves as an introductory guide to diffraction methods and structure determination for a broad audience.