Experimental aspects of biological X-ray absorption spectroscopy

Spectroscopic techniques, like X-ray absorption spectroscopy, will provide important input for integrated biological projects in genomics and proteomics. This contribution summarizes technical requirements and typical set-ups for both simple and complex biological XAS experiments. An overview on different strategies for sample preparation is discussed in detail. Present and future BioXAS spectrometers are presented to help potential users in locating the spectrometer required for their biological application.