knarf135 Posted October 4, 2008 Share Posted October 4, 2008 I have looked through my notes and book and can't find the answer so any help would be great. "In x-ray crystallography it is imperative that 3D crystals of highly pure protein be grown in the lab. Why is this necessary? In other words, why can't an x-ray source generate a diffration pattern from a single molecule or even 2D crystals? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asdf1122 Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 You cannot use a single protein to generate a diffraction pattern because how will you know how the protein is orientated? It could be facing forward, or upside down, or on its side, etc. and you will get a different diffraction pattern each time. 2D crystals, I don't know what that means. How can you even make a 2D crystal? It has to be 3D crystal so that the protein is all orientated in a highly organized manner so that you can generate a diffraction pattern that you know is right for the protein. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knarf135 Posted October 6, 2008 Author Share Posted October 6, 2008 Thanks for the quick reply! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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