MS44-P5 The use of polystyrene organic-based gels for the diffraction quality single crystal growth of small molecules

The use of gels for the crystallization of small molecules and proteins has been studied during the last decades. Gel media removes convection and sedimentation controlling the transport processes by diffusion, and providing higher crystal quality [1,2]. Crystallisation of small molecules in gel media has been broadly described for hydrogels and, recently, it has been reported the use of organic solvent-based gels using poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), a synthetic polymer soluble in water and organic solvents [3]. Nevertheless, the usability of PEO gels is restricted to the limited number of solvents on which this polymer is soluble. Polystyrene (PS) is a linear polymer, well known and characterized, cheap and accessible. We have studied the suitability of PS gels as media for diffraction quality small-molecule crystal growth. Herein, we report the detailed method for the preparation of PS gels, including a list of solvents, recommended PS concentrations in function of the crystallisation method employed and crystal extraction from the gel.