App Note: Dynamic Light Scattering - The Silver Bullet for Crystal Screening?

Zetasizer Nano application note MRK455-02 In the early 1990s, dynamic light scattering (DLS) was introduced as a screening tool for crystallography. Over the past decade DLS has become widely accepted in this role, and dynamic light scattering instruments are now routinely integrated into X-ray crystallography labs. A common misconception however, is that DLS can tell one which samples are likely to yield crystals. In practice, DLS is more appropriately used as a tool for screening out samples that are unlikely to yield crystals. In this article, we address the subtle difference in these points, and examine the value of light scattering techniques as crystal screening tools.