A container for the transport of mounted crystals

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.