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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...

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...

$X-ray Diffraction of Biological Samples$ 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...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 1, 2026

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

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

Published on: March 11, 2022

Locating and Visualizing Crystals for X-Ray Diffraction Experiments.

Michael Becker¹, David J Kissick¹, Craig M Ogata²

¹GM/CA@APS, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL, USA.

Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.)

|June 3, 2017

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Visualizing tiny crystals is crucial for macromolecular crystallography, especially with advanced X-ray sources. This review covers methods for locating and identifying these minuscule samples for diffraction experiments.

Keywords:

Fluorescence In situ crystallography Lipidic cubic phase (LCP)Micro electron diffraction (MicroED)Second-order nonlinear optical imaging of chiral crystals (SONICC)Synchrotron radiation X-ray free electron laser (XFEL)

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Area of Science:

Structural Biology
Biophysics
Crystallography

Background:

Macromolecular crystallography has evolved to analyze increasingly smaller crystals, posing significant challenges for sample manipulation.
Advanced X-ray sources utilize highly focused beams, necessitating precise crystal identification and positioning.

Purpose of the Study:

To review current methods for visualizing and locating microscopic and sub-microscopic crystals for diffraction studies.
To present examples of crystal visualization techniques across various experimental setups.

Main Methods:

Review of established and emerging techniques for crystal visualization.
Case studies including standard crystals, mesophase-grown crystals, in situ crystallography, and samples for X-ray Free Electron Laser (XFEL) and Micro Electron Diffraction (MicroED).

Main Results:

Various techniques exist for visualizing crystals, each with limitations regarding resolution, sample damage, and applicability.
Complementary methods are often required to effectively identify and locate vanishingly small crystals.
Minimizing sample damage during visualization is critical, with some techniques integrating probing with data collection.

Conclusions:

Effective visualization of small crystals is essential for modern macromolecular crystallography.
A diverse toolkit of complementary visualization techniques is necessary to overcome challenges posed by small sample sizes and advanced experimental setups.
Future research should focus on developing non-damaging and highly sensitive crystal detection methods.