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A container for the transport of mounted crystals
Author(s) -
Whitlow M.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
journal of applied crystallography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.429
H-Index - 162
ISSN - 1600-5767
DOI - 10.1107/s0021889895011599
Subject(s) - tube (container) , crystal (programming language) , natural rubber , materials science , container (type theory) , glass tube , composite material , computer science , programming language
An airtight crystal‐shipping tube has been produced by modification of a 15 ml pressure reaction tube to hold a mounted crystal. A crystal mounted on a specimen pin is held in place in the crystal‐shipping tube by a set screw. The crystal‐shipping tubes are then inserted in holes prepared for them in two foam rubber blocks. The foam rubber blocks fit into a Styrofoam box, and the whole package is shipped by overnight courier. Both the foam rubber packing and the fact that the specimen pin is firmly held in place minimize the mechanical stresses that occur during transport. Furthermore, the airtight container eliminates any pressure changes that may occur. In addition, the mounted crystals are visible through the glass shipping tube. A number of macromolecular data sets have been successfully collected from crystals shipped in this way.