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 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...

Cryo-electron Microscopy

Cryo-electron Microscopy

Conventional electron microscopy (EM) involves dehydration, fixation, and staining of biological samples, which distorts the native state of biological molecules and results in several artifacts. Also, the high-energy electron beam damages the sample and makes it difficult to obtain high-resolution images. These issues can be addressed using cryo-EM, which uses frozen samples and gentler electron beams. The technique was developed by Jacques Dubochet, Joachim Frank, and Richard Henderson, for...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Membrane protein structure and dynamics probed by MicroED.

Biochemical Society transactions·2026

Same author

pH-mediated activation of the lysosomal arginine sensor SLC38A9.

FEBS letters·2026

Same author

Rapid Structural Analysis of Natural Products Using MicroED.

Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany)·2026

Same author

Conformational Trajectory of the Molecular Chameleon Grazoprevir From Formulation to Target-Bound.

Chemistry (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany)·2025

Same author

Discovery of Oxyacanthine Dihydrochloride Monohydrate Polymorphs from Obfuscated Samples by Microcrystal Electron Diffraction.

ChemMedChem·2025

Same author

pH-dependent regulation in SLC38A9.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025

Same journal

Neutron scattering for STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY: Modern neutron sources illuminate the complex functions of living systems.

Physics today·2024

Same journal

Artificial gauge fields with ultracold atoms.

Physics today·2021

Same journal

Coherent light brightens the quantum science frontier.

Physics today·2020

Same journal

NIST's Digital Library of Mathematical Functions.

Physics today·2020

Same journal

Restoring Sight with Retinal Prostheses.

Physics today·2019

Same journal

The invisible dance of CRISPR-Cas9. Simulations unveil the molecular side of the gene-editing revolution.

Physics today·2019

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 5, 2025

$Microcrystal Electron Diffraction of Small Molecules$

Microcrystal Electron Diffraction of Small Molecules

Published on: March 15, 2021

Unlocking the potential of MICROCRYSTAL ELECTRON DIFFRACTION.

Mike Martynowycz¹, Tamir Gonen¹

¹department of biological chemistry at UCLA.

|March 27, 2023

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Molecules form everything around us and compose our bodies. Different arrangements and numbers of atoms create diverse molecules from the same basic components.

More Related Videos

$Synchrotron X-ray Microdiffraction and Fluorescence Imaging of Mineral and Rock Samples$

Synchrotron X-ray Microdiffraction and Fluorescence Imaging of Mineral and Rock Samples

Published on: June 19, 2018

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

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

Published on: April 24, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Aug 5, 2025

$Microcrystal Electron Diffraction of Small Molecules$

Microcrystal Electron Diffraction of Small Molecules

Published on: March 15, 2021

$Synchrotron X-ray Microdiffraction and Fluorescence Imaging of Mineral and Rock Samples$

Synchrotron X-ray Microdiffraction and Fluorescence Imaging of Mineral and Rock Samples

Published on: June 19, 2018

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

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

Published on: April 24, 2018

Area of Science:

Biochemistry
Molecular Biology
Chemistry

Background:

All matter is composed of atoms, which are the fundamental building blocks of chemical elements.
Life is based on carbon-based molecules, including proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, and carbohydrates.
The properties of molecules are determined by their atomic composition and spatial arrangement.

Purpose of the Study:

To explain how atoms form molecules.
To describe the molecular composition of the human body.
To highlight the diversity of molecules arising from simple atomic components.

Main Methods:

Review of fundamental chemical principles.
Explanation of molecular structures and bonding.
Discussion of biological macromolecules.

Main Results:

Atoms combine through chemical bonds to form molecules.
The human body comprises water and organic molecules like lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.
Variations in atomic arrangement and number lead to a vast array of molecular structures and functions.

Conclusions:

The diversity of life and matter arises from the varied assembly of a limited set of atoms.
Understanding molecular structure is key to understanding biological function and the properties of matter.