BL7.2W: MX is operated on a 6.5-Tesla superconducting wavelength shifter (SWLS), dedicated to macromolecular crystallography. Its optical components include collimating mirror (CM), Si (111) double crystal monochromator (DCM) and toroidal focusing mirror (FM). The end-station of BL7.2W:MX is equipped with a goniometer system of mardtb plus Oxford cryosystems and marCCD detector with 165 mm diameter.  

Technical specification

Technique	Macromolecular crystallography
Radiation Source	4-Tesla superconducting wavelength shifter
Photon Energy	8 keV
Flux	109 photons/second at 100 mA
Sample	Protein crystals
End-station	mardtb single-axis goniometer system
Cryogenic system	100K with Oxford Cryosystems: 700 series cryostream nitrogen cooler
Detector	marCCD with 165 mm in diameter (21,000 mm2)
Crystal-to-detector distance	Up to 390 mm

Principle X-ray diffraction data measurement from macromolecule crystals has enabled the determination of atomic structures. When the crystal containing macromolecules is struck by an X-ray beam, the X-rays interact with electrons in the atoms of macromolecules and be diffracted in many directions, resulting in a diffraction pattern recorded on the detector. From the X-ray data, the electron density map can be reconstructed using mathematical means of a three dimensional periodic function and the 3D-structure of the macromolecule can thus be determined.

Not only the X-ray diffraction data of protein crystals can be collected at the beamline, the X-ray data processing could also be performed on-site using the software programs for macromolecule crystallography e.g. imosflm and CCP4 suites, with the support from our beamline scientists.

Applications This technique is the most commonly used to determine the 3-dimensional structure of macromolecules such as proteins and ligands, providing structural information for a number of applications including rational drug design, structural genomics and enzyme technology.

What 3D structures can do for you?

For more information, please contact: BL7.2W: MX Synchrotron Light Research Institute (Public Organization) Tel: +66 (044) 217-040 Fax: +66 (044) 217-047 E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

This page is created by Dr.Nuttawan Pramanpol
Updated on 27/11/2015