Dear all,

I would like to share with you a surprising pattern I found when examining some crystallization plates (attached figures).

It is less obvious looking the photos, but apparently the "lines" are formed by precipitated protein and there are some "bubbles" with small drops inside. I wish they were microcrystals but I do not think this is the case.

I was suprised by the symmetry !

And it is not completely random because for the same condition the difference between the two drops are : protein alone ("hexagon") and protein + ligand ("rhombus")

crystallization condition is:

0.01 M Cobalt(II) chloride hexahydrate

0.1 M Tris pH 8.5

20% w/v Polyvinylpyrrolidone K 15

Have you seen anything similar before?

Thank you for your comments!

Beatriz