Re: [ccp4bb] off-topic: protein crystallography in organic chemistry lab

- Protein crystallography

Main steps:

- Protein purification
- Crystallisation

Special:

- Programs for crystallography
- X-ray detectors

Basic tutorials:

   - Chemistry
   - Protein
   - Peptide
   - Amino Acids

Xtal community:

- CCP4BB

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CCP4bb <-- 1999 <-- November 1999 <-- 30 November 1999

Previous message:
Subject: Re: question about getting rid of model bias in refinement
From: Anastassis Perrakis a {- dot -} perrakis {- at -} NKI {- dot -} NL
Date: 2008-07-29

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From: Meg mgbiotec {- at -} GMAIL {- dot -} COM
Date: 2008-07-29

Subject: Re: off-topic: protein crystallography in organic chemistry lab
From: Artem Evdokimov artem {- at -} XTALS {- dot -} ORG
Date: 2008-07-29

Hi,

I assume that there is no other way and you have to share the space, so I
will save you from the standard tirade about functional space segregation
:-)

If the air in the lab is so loaded with solvents that your plates are
melting - then *you* (or anyone else for that matter) certainly should not
be in there. If your chemistry lab is safe, and organic load of lab air is
within safety limits then you shouldn't be too worried about it. VOC meters
should be available at your University's Safety Office. I wouldn't be
concerned about exposure of transient items (disposable plastic plates,
experiments, etc.) to organic vapor - it's the equipment that I would be
worried about because it stays in the lab for years.

In general, organic vapors are not good for equipment, especially if you
have machinery that has thin rubber gaskets in it. Not all gaskets would be
affected, however it is a safe bet that common biology lab equipment is NOT
designed with organic lab performance in mind - in other words, materials
used for its manufacture are probably not compatible with solvents.

The FPLC may or may not suffer but the cold cabinet housing the
chromatography system might lose integrity after a few years, unless it is
designed for performance in organics-rich lab.

Since you're asking for advice - I'd fight for separate space. Your best
friend here are the safety considerations - why expose non-chemists to
solvents, organics, and the potentially hazardous reactions (i.e. runaway
exothermics, etc.)? It's bad enough that the chemistry-oriented personnel
has to be exposed, by necessity - so why do the authorities want to expose
non-chemists?

Good luck.

Artem

_____

From: CCP4 bulletin board [mailto:CCP4BB@JISCMAIL.AC.UK] On Behalf Of Uma
Katre
Sent: Monday, July 28, 2008 1:44 PM
To: CCP4BB@JISCMAIL.AC.UK
Subject: [ccp4bb] off-topic: protein crystallography in organic chemistry
lab

Dear all,

Sorry for an extremely off-topic question, but I thought this would be the
best place to find an answer.

We are setting up our protein crystallography lab and have been asked to
share laboratory space with an organic chemistry group which is already well
established in the room. The room is spacious and nice so we want to make
use of it. Although the organic chemistry lab is well-maintained, all
reactions being carried out in fume hoods, proper disposal of solvents etc.,
a person like me who has rarely visited an organic chemistry lab can
immediately get distinct smell of solvents after entering the lab. My
questions are: is it advisable to set up the protein crystallization
facility in such a laboratory? How badly can solvent fumes affect proteins,
crystallization plates, the microscope and the crystallization process? We
are supposed to put our FPLC also in the same room and are worried about
that too.

Any suggestion / advice is appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Uma.

--
Uma Katre,
Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry,
Auburn University,
Auburn, AL, USA.

CCP4bb navigation

CCP4bb <-- 1999 <-- November 1999 <-- 30 November 1999

Previous message:
Subject: Re: question about getting rid of model bias in refinement
From: Anastassis Perrakis a {- dot -} perrakis {- at -} NKI {- dot -} NL
Date: 2008-07-29

Next message:
Subject: estimate protein in Incl bod
From: Meg mgbiotec {- at -} GMAIL {- dot -} COM
Date: 2008-07-29