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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: Nov 11, 2025

$Microcrystallography of Protein Crystals and In Cellulo Diffraction$

Microcrystallography of Protein Crystals and In Cellulo Diffraction

Published on: July 21, 2017

Protein crystallography: alive and well.

Alexander Wlodawer¹

¹Center for Structural Biology, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD, USA.

The FEBS Journal

|March 24, 2021

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Reports of X-ray crystallography's demise are exaggerated. Despite advances in cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), X-ray crystallography remains dominant for determining macromolecular structures, with 78% of recent Protein Data Bank deposits using this method.

Area of Science:

Structural Biology
Biochemistry
Biophysics

Background:

The advent of cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) has led to significant advancements in determining high-resolution macromolecular structures.

Keywords:

protein crystallography protein structures structural methodology

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Last Updated: Nov 11, 2025

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This progress, recognized by the 2017 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, created a perception that X-ray crystallography was becoming obsolete.