An algorithm to identify the existence and reproducibly obtain single crystals of salts and mixed crystals of amino acids suitable for single crystal XRD and Raman spectroscopy experiments

An algorithm is proposed to reproducibly obtain single crystals of salts and mixed crystals of amino acids with dicarboxylic acids and other small organic molecules. The resulting crystals are of high quality and have good faceting, which makes them suitable for single crystal XRD and Raman spectroscopic (including polarized radiation) experiments. The ease of the implementation and the possibility to reproduce the crystallization using equipment and materials that are available at virtually every laboratory are the hallmarks of the proposed algorithm, which involves two stages of work. During the first stage, the original components are screened, quickly and easily, to find new phases. The aim of the second stage is to obtain single crystals that meet the requirements of different research methods. An ideal case is the one whereby it is possible to control the size of well-faceted spaced apart crystals that grow within a few hours and are easy to separate from the surface.