Glycan Crystal Structure Analysis Service
Glycan Crystal Structure Analysis Service: Precision in Purity, Power in Discovery.
Are you currently facing complex challenges in biomaterial purification, drug formulation, or understanding structure-function relationships? Our One-Stop Glycan Crystal & Glycoprotein Crystal Analysis Services help you accelerate discovery and ensure product quality by unlocking the molecular secrets of your materials through our advanced solid-state characterization platforms. We provide a deep understanding of your material's solid-state properties, offering solutions for critical problems such as polymorph screening, batch-to-batch inconsistency, and optimizing purification processes. Our service delivers precise, actionable data that provides a clear path forward for development and manufacturing.
Fig.1 Unit cell of DL-arabinose.1
Our comprehensive workflow is designed to provide you with a clear and efficient path to obtaining the high-quality structural data you need.
Sample intake
We begin with a detailed consultation to define your research goals. We then receive and carefully log your sample, ensuring proper handling and preparation for analysis.
Preliminary solid-state screening
We perform initial, non-destructive analyses using techniques like powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to assess the material's bulk crystalline phase and thermal stability. This allows us to rapidly identify the presence of multiple polymorphs or an amorphous state.
Advanced crystallographic analysis
For samples that do not crystallize or are available only in microcrystalline powder form, we employ microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) to obtain a high-resolution 3D structure. For suitable materials, we grow single crystals and perform single-crystal XRD.
Molecular-level characterization
Our team uses complementary techniques like solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (SSNMR) and vibrational spectroscopy to probe molecular-level details, including hydrogen bonding networks, conformational flexibility, and local order within both crystalline and amorphous regions.
Data integration
We combine the insights from all analyses into a single, comprehensive report. This report not only provides you with high-quality crystallographic and spectroscopic data but also our expert interpretation of the findings, explaining their significance for your project.
Types of Our Glycan Crystal Structure Analysis Service
Glycan crystal structure analysis faces several challenges, including the difficulty in crystallizing these molecules, the limited sample availability, and the inherent complexity of their structures. Glycans can exist in different solid-state forms, known as polymorphs, which can have dramatically different physical properties. A new polymorph can affect a drug's bioavailability or a food additive's texture and shelf life. Our service overcomes these challenges by employing a multi-faceted approach, selecting the optimal techniques for each project to provide comprehensive and accurate structural data.
We utilize a suite of cutting-edge technologies to provide a complete picture of your sample's structure.
SC-XRD
SC-XRD provides the exact 3D atomic coordinates of your glycan molecule and its packing arrangement within the crystal lattice. This data is critical for understanding molecular conformation, hydrogen bonding, and structure-activity relationships.
XRPD
XRPD provides a "fingerprint" of the material's crystalline phase and is a powerful tool for quickly assessing batch-to-batch consistency and determining the overall degree of crystallinity.
MicroED
This is a powerful new method that eliminates the need for large, perfectly formed single crystals. We can determine a high-resolution crystal structure from a powder sample of only a few micrograms, a process that can be completed in as little as one day. MicroED is particularly valuable for complex glycans that are challenging to crystallize.
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SSNMR: SSNMR is a powerful complementary tool to XRD. While XRD provides long-range structural information, SSNMR probes the local molecular environment. This allows us to:
Characterize amorphous regions
SSNMR can quantify and provide structural insights into disordered or semi-crystalline domains, which are often invisible to XRD.
Analyze conformation and hydrogen bonding
It provides direct evidence of molecular conformation and hydrogen bonding networks, which are crucial for understanding a molecule's behavior.
Determine purity
SSNMR can detect impurities and subtle conformational changes that may not be apparent in other analyses.
Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR)
FTIR provides a rapid and accurate assessment of a material's chemical bonds and functional groups. It can distinguish between different polymorphs and identify subtle structural changes based on shifts in key absorption bands.
Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy
When coupled with multivariate analysis, NIR provides a non-destructive, non-contact method for real-time monitoring of your manufacturing process. For example, we can assess crystal friability during continuous production or transportation, which helps you infer the molecular mechanisms of degradation and optimize process parameters to prevent it.
Discover Our Unique Advantages
Glycans and their polymers are essential biomolecules that play a critical role in cellular recognition, drug targeting, and as structural components in nature. The solid-state structure of these molecules directly impacts their physical properties, including solubility, stability, and reactivity. The complex, hierarchical nature of these structures, from the short-range molecular conformation to the long-range crystalline packing, necessitates advanced analytical techniques to fully understand them. Our expertise in solid-state science, combined with an advanced suite of analysis platforms, provides a unique and powerful advantage. We are not just an analytical service; we are a partner in discovery. Our multi-modal approach ensures that we provide the most complete and accurate structural information available.
Published Data
Based on the detailed crystallographic and thermodynamic analysis of two enantiomeric sugar systems, a study was conducted to understand the solid-state behavior of DL-arabinose and DL-xylose. Researchers investigated whether these chiral pairs would form a single, stable crystal structure known as a racemic compound or crystallize as a mixture of two separate enantiomeric crystals, a conglomerate. The findings, supported by SC-XRD, thermal analysis, and solubility measurements, consistently showed that DL-arabinose forms a thermodynamically stable racemic compound. Conversely, D- and L-xylose molecules were found to crystallize independently, forming a conglomerate. The racemic arabinose compound exhibited a higher melting point and density, along with a distinct crystal structure and hydrogen bonding network, confirming its enhanced stability compared to its pure enantiomers.
A crucial aspect of this research involved slurry transformation experiments to directly observe the solid-state behavior. As depicted by the XRD patterns over time in the following Figure, a mixture of solid D- and L-arabinose crystals, when placed in a liquid slurry, rapidly converted into the racemic compound within just one hour. The initial XRD signature of the individual enantiomers disappeared completely, replaced by a new, distinct pattern corresponding to the racemic crystal structure. This dynamic and swift transformation highlighted the strong thermodynamic drive for the arabinose enantiomers to combine. In contrast, when the same experiment was performed with a mixture of D- and L-xylose crystals, no such change was observed, even after a prolonged period of seven days. The XRD pattern remained unchanged, confirming that the conglomerate state is the most stable form for DL-xylose. This fundamental difference in crystallization behavior is vital for designing effective industrial processes for separating these sugar enantiomers.
Fig.2 XRD analysis results of different arabinose configurations.1
FAQs
How much sample do I need to provide for analysis?
For most standard analyses, we require a few milligrams of material. However, if your sample is difficult to crystallize or only available in very limited quantities, our MicroED service is a game-changer. We can often work with as little as a few micrograms from a powdered sample. Please contact us to discuss your specific sample constraints.
Can you analyze a sample that is a mix of crystalline and amorphous material?
Absolutely. Our multi-modal approach is specifically designed to handle this. Our XRD analysis provides detailed information on the crystalline domains, while our SSNMR and FTIR analyses give you valuable insights into the amorphous and paracrystalline regions. This combination provides a complete and accurate picture of your sample's structure.
My team is not sure what analysis we need. Can you help?
Of course. Our team of experts will work with you from the very beginning. We will listen to your research goals and sample details, then recommend a tailored analytical plan that will provide the most valuable and actionable insights for your project. Please contact us to get started.
Customer Review
Improved Consistency
"Using Creative Biolabs' glycan crystal structure analysis service in our research has significantly improved our ability to troubleshoot batch-to-batch inconsistencies. The detailed structural data from their solid-state NMR analysis helped us pinpoint a subtle conformational change in our raw material, a problem we couldn't detect with our in-house methods."- A. N***on, Scientist.
Optimized Purification
"The insights gained from their single-crystal XRD service were invaluable. We were struggling with purification yields, but their analysis helped us identify a stable crystalline form that allowed for a much more efficient crystallization-based purification step. Their team's expertise is top-notch."- S. B***ck, Project leader.
Extended Services
Our Glycan Crystal Analysis Service is often used in combination with our other offerings. To achieve your project goals, you may also benefit from our:
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Solid-state polymorph screening
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Custom crystallization and purification
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Cocrystal and salt screening
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Glycan mass spectrometry
How to Contact Us
Creative Biolabs provides a comprehensive, multi-technique approach to glycan and biopolymer characterization, from small molecules to complex polysaccharides. We translate fundamental solid-state science into actionable data that helps you accelerate your research, optimize your products, and ensure quality and consistency. Please contact us for more information and to discuss your project.
Reference
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Tyson, Bradley, et al. "Crystallization behavior and crystallographic properties of DL-arabinose and DL-xylose diastereomer sugars." Crystal Growth & Design 22.2 (2022): 1371-1383. Distributed under an Open Access license CC BY 4.0, without modification. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.cgd.1c01329
For Research Use Only.
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