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Chemistry

Crystallography without crystals

Nature Methods volume 10, pages 460–461 (2013)Cite this article

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Researchers use networked porous metal complexes as crystalline 'sponges' that absorb and orient small molecules for X-ray crystallography.

X-ray crystallography, widely regarded as the most reliable method for structural determination of small organic molecules, provides researchers with direct structure information at atomic resolution. But the technique comes with a tall experimental hurdle: molecules must be crystallized. This process can require a substantial amount of time, necessitates trial and error and is challenging for limited sample quantities. Additionally, not all molecules can be coaxed into forming crystals.

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References

  1. Inokuma, Y. et al. X-ray analysis on the nanogram to microgram scale using porous complexes. Nature 495, 461–466 (2013).

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  1. Allison Doerr
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Doerr, A. Crystallography without crystals. Nat Methods 10, 460–461 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmeth.2502

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nmeth.2502

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