This page contains a selection of articles from Crystallography Journals Online that have been highlighted in the IUCr newsletter.
An RSS 1.0 feed is also available 
Acta Cryst. (2011). A67, 319-326 [ doi:10.1107/S0108767311011883 ] The development of Laue techniques for single-pulse diffraction of chemical complexes: time-resolved Laue diffraction on a binuclear rhodium metal-organic complexA. Makal, E. Trzop, J. Sokolow, J. Kalinowski, J. Benedict and P. CoppensLaser-pump/X-ray probe experiments at synchrotron sources can reveal the structure of very short-lived chemical complexes at atomic resolution. It is crucial in such experiments to maximize both the time resolution and the accuracy of the results. The former requires single-pulse diffraction which can be achieved with the polychromatic Laue technique, the latter requires detailed modification of existing Laue procedures, which are described in the article together with results of their application at APS beamline ID-14 and comparison of the results with theoretical predictions. | ![]() Photodifference maps showing instantaneous changes on excitation with isosurfaces of ±0.25 eÅ-3 (red positive, blue negative). | |
Acta Cryst. (2011). B67, 218-225 [ doi:10.1107/S0108768111014534 ] Structure analysis of titanate nanorods by automated electron diffraction tomographyI. Andrusenko, E. Mugnaioli, T. E. Gorelik, D. Koll, M. Panthöfer, W. Tremel and U. KolbA newly developed electron diffraction technique was used to solve ab initio an intermediate species in the synthesis of TiO2 nanorods used for dye-sensitized solar cells. Automated diffraction tomography (ADT) allows scanning and 3D reconstruction of the reciprocal space from a single nonoriented nanocrystal. This new approach delivers intensity data sets with enhanced quantity and quality suitable for ab initio structure solution and in addition visualizes crystallographic specialties such as diffraction streaks caused by layer shifts. HRTEM analysis revealed more detailed understanding of the defects. | ![]() Projection of three-dimensional reconstructed reciprocal space from ADT data taken from two single nanorods. The reciprocal space is oriented along (100). Top left: strongly disordered rod, top right: almost ordered rod. Bottom: final model of sodium titanate NaTi3O6(OH).2H2O structure, obtained ab initio from the upper-right reconstruction. | |
Acta Cryst. (2011). C67, m202-m204 [ doi:10.1107/S0108270111018233 ] The pentacoordinated [Cr(CO)5]2- dianion in [2,2,2-crypt-K]2[Cr(CO)5] ethylenediamine monosolvateJ. Zhai and L. XuFormula: [K(C18H36N2O6)]2[Cr(CO)5]·C2H8N2 The first penta-coordinated chromium–carbonyl compound [2,2,2-crypt-K]2[Cr(CO)5].NH2CH2CH2NH2 was obtained from the reaction of K3Cd2Sb2 and Cr(CO)6 in ethylenediamine in the presence of 2,2,2-cryptand. The central Cr atom is coordinated by five carbonyl ligands in a distorted trigonal bipyramidal geometry. In contrast to the case of the reported hexacoordinated [Cr2(CO)10]2- dianion, the pentacoordinated [Cr(CO)5]2- dianion has a longer apical Cr–C bond length than the equatorial ones as a consequence of less electron back donation to the axial carbonyl ligands. | ![]() | |
Acta Cryst. (2011). D67, 699-706 [ doi:10.1107/S090744491102292X ] A conformation-dependent stereochemical library improves crystallographic refinement even at atomic resolutionD. E. Tronrud and P. A. KarplusA script has been created to allow protein refinements with SHELXL to use a conformation ( / ) dependent library (CDL) of restraints. Tests at resolutions between 1.4 and 0.8 Å showed that models created using the CDL restraints had much improved geometry. For resolutions better than 0.8 Å, use of the CDL made little difference to the models, but their assessed quality was much improved. Results indicate the CDL improves refinement behavior at all resolutions. The script can be accessed at http://pgd.science.oregonstate.edu/cdl_shelxl. | ![]() Improved refinement behavior using the CDL. For a test case at each resolution, the bars show the decrease in r.m.s.d. for the main-chain bond angles resulting from the refinement against the CDL as opposed to the single-value Engh & Huber restraint library. Blue bars show the improvement in assessed quality. Red bars show the real improvement. | |
Acta Cryst. (2011). E67, o1908 [ doi:10.1107/S1600536811025712 ] Bis(8-methyl-2,8-dicarba-closo-dodecaboran-2-yl) triselenideA. Ilie, A. Soran, A. Laguna and C. SilvestruThe structure of the title compound is reported, the first (to our knowledge) dicarboranetriselenide described so far. Two closo-C2B10 icosahedra are linked by a chain of three selenium atoms: the Se–Se bond lengths suggest that they can be regarded as single covalent bonds. The geometry around the central Se atom is V-shaped, with an Se–Se–Se angle of 105.60 (4)°, and the C–Se–Se–Se torsion angles indicate a strongly twisted conformation for the linking triselenide grouping. | ![]() | |
Acta Cryst. (2011). F67, 842-850 [ doi:10.1107/S1744309111018604 ] In silico identification and crystal structure validation of caspase-3 inhibitors without a P1 aspartic acid moietyR. Ganesan, S. Jelakovic, P. R. E. Mittl, A. Caflisch and M. G. GrütterHigh-resolution crystal structures in combination with fragment-based docking procedures are powerful tools for the identification of novel inhibitors. By using the fragment-based docking suite DAIM–SEED–FFLD several novel caspase-3 directed inhibitors were identified. Interestingly many of those inhibitors are lacking an aspartic acid. Although aspartic acid diminishes cell penetration, it is almost ubiquitously present in caspase inhibitors because caspases possess a stringent requirement for this amino acid. The complex structures reveal that several inhibitors utilize interactions in the prime part of the substrate-binding site. | ![]() | |
J. Appl. Cryst. (2011). 44, 788-797 [ doi:10.1107/S0021889811014749 ] Mitigation of errors in pair distribution function analysis of nanoparticlesK. Mullen and I. LevinThis paper discusses procedures for minimizing systematic errors in atomic pair distribution function (PDF) calculations for nanoparticles. The use of a Fourier-transformed small-angle scattering dataset to model a baseline in the PDF calculated from wide-angle scattering data is shown to be a promising means of eliminating errors due to use of analytical baseline functions. It is also shown that smoothing noise due to counting statistics in reciprocal-space data can improve the precision of parameter estimates obtained from PDF analysis thus facilitating selection of the correct structural model. | ![]() PDFs (grey) generated using total scattering data representing counting statistics noise, with the signal-to-noise ratio indicated in the upper right corner of each plot. Smoothing the total scattering data results in approximations (blue) to the PDF (red) obtained from noise-free scattering data. The right plots represent selected ranges from the left plots. | |
J. Appl. Cryst. (2011). 44, 820-830 [ doi:10.1107/S0021889811021285 ] Decomposition of W(CO)6 at high pressures and temperaturesN. Rademacher, L. Bayarjargal, A. Friedrich, W. Morgenroth, M. Avalos-Borja, S. C. Vogel, Th. Proffen and B. WinklerHexacarbonyltungsten, W(CO)6, has been decomposed by heating in an autoclave or in a diamond anvil cell at a range of pressures. The decomposition products have been analyzed using synchrotron X-ray diffraction, pair distribution function analysis, Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. | ![]() | |
J. Appl. Cryst. (2011). 44, 714-726 [ doi:10.1107/S0021889811021455 ] Extracting the pair distribution function from white-beam X-ray total scattering dataA. K. Soper and E. R. BarneyA general method, called GudrunX, has been developed for converting raw X-ray scattering data from a standard laboratory source to the differential cross section and pair distribution function. The method can equally be applied to synchrotron X-ray data. | ![]() | |
J. Synchrotron Rad. (2011). 18, 564-568 [ doi:10.1107/S0909049511009836 ] Hard X-ray Fourier transform holography from an array of oriented referenced objectsH. Iwamoto and N. YagiThe use of multiple, oriented and singly referenced objects was evaluated as a means to overcome the low scattering cross section inherent in hard X-ray Fourier transform holography. The nanofabricated test pattern consisted of identical characters, each with a reference dot, arranged in a 5 × 5 matrix. The image of each object was restored as in the conventional single-object case. This technique can be considered as a means to image biological macromolecules or their assemblies, which diffract weakly but of which identical copies are available. | ![]() Scanning ion microscope image of the test pattern (lower right, a Chinese character meaning “up”) and multiple images restored from a hard X-ray hologram. | |


-form of chlorpropamide on cooling to 100 K. Acta Cryst. B67, 163-176. 













,7
,12
-tris(4-nitrobenzoyloxy)-5
-cholan-24-yl] disulfide-ethyl acetate-n-hexane (4/4/1). Acta Cryst. E67, o74-o75. 









2-6,6'-Dimethoxy-2,2'-[butane-1,4-diylbis(nitrilomethylidyne)]diphenolato}trinitratocopper(II)neodymium(III). Acta Cryst. E66, m1423. 















-SrB4O7. Acta Cryst. E66, i48. 







-D-erythrofuranosyl)thymine. Acta Cryst. E66, o404. 







-spirostan-3
-yl acetate. Acta Cryst. E65, o2954-o2955. 




-phosphoglucomutase (TM1254) from Thermotoga maritima. Acta Cryst. F65, 1218-1221. 












-lactamase (AmpCD) from an Escherichia coli clinical isolate with a tripeptide deletion (Gly286-Ser287-Asp288) in the H10 helix. Acta Cryst. F65, 540-543. 




3-allyl)4Cl2(OH)2(CO)8: the first cubane-type Mo2+ organometallic complex with
3-OH and
3-Cl bridges. Acta Cryst. C65, m168-m170. 

5-pentamethylcyclopentadienyl)cobalt(II). Acta Cryst. E65, m391. 















4N,N',N'',N'''}bis(trifluoromethanesulfanato-
O)copper(II). Acta Cryst. E64, m1435. 












-2 polymorphs of trans-mono-unsaturated triacylglycerols and related fully saturated triacylglycerols. Acta Cryst. B64, 240-248. 
'-2 polymorphs of trans-mono-unsaturated triacylglycerols and related saturated TAGs and their polymorphic stability. Acta Cryst. B64, 249-259. 









2-hydroxido-bis[dioxouranium(VI)]]-di-
2-2-pyridylacetato-
3O,N:O';
3O:O',N]. Acta Cryst. C64, m50-m52. 















3-1,1-dioxo-1,2-benzoisothiazole-3-thiolato-
3N:S3:S3)silver(I)]. Acta Cryst. C63, m395-m397. 

































2S,S')bismuth(III). Acta Cryst. E62, m2552-m2554. 






5-hydrogenphosphato-pentamolybdate(VI) tetrahydrate. Acta Cryst. C62, m355-m357. 





-GaPO4. Acta Cryst. A62, 1-10. 

















-tetraethoxyborato]. Acta Cryst. C61, m417-m418. 










5-cyclopentadienyl)tungstenio]indium. Acta Cryst. E61, m945-m946. 





-acetato-acetonitriletris(
-N,N'-diphenylformamidinato)diruthenium tetrafluoroborate dichloromethane hemisolvate. Acta Cryst. C61, m71-m73. 















-chloro-bis[dichloropalladium(II)]. Acta Cryst. C60, m426-m430. 

-Diphenylphosphido-
-hydrido-bis[carbonyl(
5-cyclopentadienyl)iron(II)]. Acta Cryst. E60, m1284-m1285. 









-ray and neutron diffraction studies of CoF2: magnetostriction, electron density and magnetic moments. Acta Cryst. A60, 51-57. 


Arg surface mutations on the crystallization of the globular domain of RhoGDI. Acta Cryst. D60, 275-280. 



-AlCrFe phase by electron crystallography. Acta Cryst. A59, 526-539. 




























O)zinc(II). Acta Cryst. C59, m18-m20. 

-
-Stacking and nitro-
-stacking interactions of 1-(4-nitrophenyl)-4-phenyl-2,4-bis(phenylethynyl)butadiene. Acta Cryst. E59, o227-o229. 


-sheet structure formed by C-H
O hydrogen bonds between the thiazole rings and amide bonds of a dimeric desoxazoline ascidiacyclamide analogue. Acta Cryst. E57, o834-o838. 









C-terminal SH2-peptide complex. Acta Cryst. D57, 1397-1404. 





O hydrogen bond in urea-phosphoric acid (1/1). Acta Cryst. B57, 435-439. 



















-galactose and N-acetyllactosamine and a comparative study of carbohydrate binding in Gal/GalNAc-specific legume lectins. Acta Cryst. D55, 1375-1382. 











-oxo-bis[bis(bipyridine-N,N')manganese(III, IV)] Triperchlorate Bis(nitrobenzene) Hemihydrate. Acta Cryst. C54, 1797-1799. 






Copyright © International Union of Crystallography
IUCr Webmaster