Crystal growth: Tips and Tricks: Difference between revisions

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==Improving crystals==
==Improving crystals==
===Reducing the mosaicity===
===Reducing the mosaicity===
* incubate your crystal longer in your cryo/stabilization solution. This helps sometimes.  
# incubate your crystal longer in your cryo/stabilization solution. This helps sometimes.  
* try co-crystallization with glycerol (2%, 5% or 10%).
# try co-crystallization with glycerol (2%, 5% or 10%).
* the mosaicity may be anisotropic, so try to orient the crystal in the loop such that you can shoot along a different axis
# the mosaicity may be anisotropic, so try to orient the crystal in the loop such that you can shoot along a different axis
* look at Elspeth Garman's papers, and/or check her talks at RapiData workshops (anybody with a link??)
# change precipitant, pH, temperature, add additives
* change precipitant, pH, temperature, add additives
# optimize cryo conditions
* optimize cryo conditions
# use a synchrotron beam (as it is less divergent than the usual home source, and the apparent mosaicity is the sum of the crystal mosaicity and the crossfire)
* use a synchrotron beam (as it is less divergent than the usual home source, and the apparent mosaicity is the sum of the crystal mosaicity and the crossfire)
# try smaller crystals (often growth faults lead to end of crystal growth)
* try smaller crystals (often growth faults lead to end of crystal growth)
# shoot at parts of the crystal to find if there are good and bad parts (this requires a small beam)
* shoot at parts of the crystal to find if there are good and bad parts (this requires a small beam)
# anneal (freeze/thaw) the crystal - '''DISCLAIMER''': your mosaicity can go up as well as down with annealing
* anneal (freeze/thaw) the crystal - '''DISCLAIMER''': your mosaicity can go up as well as down with annealing
# look at Elspeth Garman's papers, and/or check her talks at RapiData workshops (anybody with a link??)
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