Participants in the CLS Mx Data Collection School are expected to have a basic grounding in crystallography.  This includes familiarity with the following subjects:

Protein Crystals

• Definition of a crystal
• Judging crystal quality
• Matthews coefficient, water content
• Size, integrity and mosaicity
• Cryoprotection and preparing crystals for data collection
• Elements of symmetry in protein crystals, point groups, Bravais lattices, Laue groups and space groups

Scattering of X-rays by crystals and Diffraction

• Interaction of X-rays with matter
• Interference of scattered waves, structure factors
• Diffraction conditions, Laue conditions, Bragg's Law
• Reciprocal lattice and Ewald construction, Miller indices, Fractional coordinates
• Calculation of electron density from structure factor
• Crystallographic "phase problem"

For review, the following sources can be consulted:

• "Crystallography Made Crystal Clear" by Gale Rhodes
• "Outline of Crystallography for Biologists" by David Blow
• CSIC Crystallography