Just last week I had crystals on Friday, then by Monday they dissolved back into the drop. I don't really understand how or why this happens, but it does. After experiencing this and complaining about it, I heard several other similar stories from around the department. Lesson learned: if you think you have a decent crystal, freeze it. Having said this, I've also heard of good data being collected from a crystal that was over a year old. Like Bert said, I think that occasionally a crystal survives or even improves over time, but those cases are much more rare than cases where the crystal deteriorates. Do how many crystals do you have? You might try freezing some and saving the others in the drop, then you can see for yourself.
Good luck,
Mike
----- Original Message -----
From: "Nathaniel Echols"
Hi everyone, Sorry to ask a question that is not really related to phenix. I hope someone here will be able to help me out. I have a few crystals at hand right now, but I will not be able to look at them for at least another month or so due to beamline schedule. Do you think I should freeze them now or wait till I have my beamtime, or it is crystal dependent? Thanks in advance.
(Bert meant to send this to the list, but since he's using the wrong
email address, it went to the list admin instead:)
From: "Van Den Berg, Bert"