This month, we are spotlighting the XtaLAB Synergy-DW. Jakub demonstrates how to query the Crystallographic Open Database using the CellCheck tool in CrysAlisPro.
There is still time to register for the liveRigaku School for Practical Crystallography, covering fundamental topics in crystallography. The course runs from January 26 to February 6, 2026, with sessions beginning daily at 6:00 AM GMT.
This month, we are spotlighting the XtaLAB Synergy-DW.
Jakub demonstrates how to query the Crystallographic Open Database using the CellCheck tool in CrysAlisPro.
Be sure to visit the Crystallography in the News section for insights into cutting-edge research. Jeanette reviews Rewiring Democracy: How AI Will Transform Our Politics, Government, and Citizenship by Bruce Schneier and Nathan E. Sanders, exploring the broader implications of artificial intelligence on society.
Finally, please note that theabstract submission deadlinefor the 27th Congress and General Assembly of the IUCr is February 15, 2026.
Our LinkedIn groupshares information and fosters discussion about X-ray crystallography and SAXS topics. Connect with other research groups and receive updates on how they use these techniques in their own laboratories. You can also catch up on the latest newsletter or Rigaku Journal issue. We also hope that you will share information about your own research and laboratory groups.
Atrigakuxrayforum.comyou can find discussions about software, general crystallography issues and more. It’s also the place to download the latest version of Rigaku Oxford Diffraction’sCrysAlisProsoftware for single crystal data processing.
IUCr2026: A Global Gathering for Structural Science
From August 11–18, 2026, IUCr2026 will bring the global crystallography and structural science community together in Calgary to share research and advance the field.
Early-bird registration is open, and participants are encouraged to take advantage of the discounted rate and register while awaiting abstract decisions. Be sure to check out the 144+ microsymposiaand ourworkshopschedule as you plan your trip to Calgary this August.
To stay informed as the Congress approaches, we invite you tojoin the IUCr2026 newsletterfor official updates and resources to share within your networks.
Rigaku School for Practical Crystallography
We will be holding a live Rigaku School for Practical Crystallography on basic topics in crystallography from January 26 - February 6, 2026, beginning at 6 AM GMT and running for up to 90 minutes each day. (Use thisTime Zone converterto determine your local time.)
The majority of the time will be spent on small molecule crystallography. This is a great opportunity for people interested in crystallography who would like to gain a basic foundation of single crystal analysis from a practical point of view.
We hope that you both enjoy and gain something from this School and look forward to meeting you, virtually.
Dual-Wavelength Rotating Anode X-ray Diffractometer with HPC X-ray Detector
The ultimate single crystal X-ray diffractometer for a wide range of crystallographic applications
The introduction in 2004 of the Oxford Diffraction Gemini diffractometer, with two independent X-ray sources, was a watershed moment in crystallographic instrumentation. The groundbreaking design of the Gemini suddenly gave crystallographers the ability to easily switch between Cu and Mo wavelengths and greatly expanded the experimental flexibility available for analyzing single crystal samples. The XtaLAB Synergy-DW is an evolution of that revolutionary idea which retains the flexibility of the dual wavelength capability but in addition adds the exceptional flux enhancement of a reliable, rotating anode X-ray source. It is the perfect diffractometer for a core facility where protein crystallography and small molecule crystallography are both practiced.
Configuration
The XtaLAB Synergy-DW diffractometer contains a PhotonJet-R X-ray source that is based on the proven, low-maintenanceMicroMax-007 HF microfocus rotating anode X-ray generator. The target is constructed with two different X-ray source materials (the following combinations are available: Mo/Cu, Cu/Cr, Cu/Co, Cu/Ag, and Ag/Mo) and is coupled with an auto-switching dual-wavelength optic. Two wavelengths of X-ray radiation are available at the click of a button and switching between wavelengths takes only 5 minutes. Rounding out the XtaLAB Synergy-DW configuration is the fast and efficient four-circle kappa goniometer which is coupled with Rigaku’s Hybrid Photon Counting (HPC) X-ray detector, theHyPix-6000HE(or optionally the curved, large theta coverage detectors,HyPix-Arc 100° or HyPix-Arc 150°.) which has essentially no readout noise, no dark noise and high dynamic range. All of this controlled by the CrysAlisPro diffraction software package with sophisticated algorithms to tie the hardware together to minimize the time it takes to measure and solve single crystal X-ray structures.
The XtaLAB Synergy-DW now comes equipped with our new UG3 goniometer, which offers faster, more efficient data collections. For more information about the UG3,please see the overview page.
Proven reliability
The PhotonJet-R source was designed with reliability in mind. Clever Rigaku engineering makes filament changes easy, like swapping a printer cartridge, with no need to realign the source each time. Scheduled maintenance involves one annual visit from a Rigaku engineer, as with all XtaLAB Synergy diffractometers, and typically takes 1-2 days. With the anode exchange program, you get the benefit of rotating anode power with the convenience of sealed tubes.
Beam conditioning
Automatic beam alignment for consistent performance, the XtaLAB Synergy-DW VHF can now be equipped with our new IOM device for fully motorized automatic beam alignment. With encoders on every axis, iOM puts the beam exactly where you need it with high reproducibility, perfect for the smaller samples commonly studied today. iOM also lets you achieve maximum intensity from your source by automatically maximizing the intensity so you can achieve peak performance at all times.
CrysAlisPro
The XtaLAB Synergy-DW comes complete withCrysAlisPro, our user-inspired data collection and data processing software for single crystal analysis. Designed around an easy-to-use graphical user interface, CrysAlisPro can be operated under fully automatic, semi-automatic or manual control. CrysAlisPro combines automated crystal screening, the fastest and most accurate strategy software available, concurrent data reduction and automatic small molecule structure solution. CrysAlisPro can operate either in a protein or small molecule dedicated workflow. Popular third-party protein data processing packages can easily process diffraction data if desired. Visual feedback is provided for each step with clear, color-coded guidance so that both novices and experts can collect high-quality data in the shortest time possible.
AutoChem
AutoChem is the ultimate productivity tool for small molecule chemists, offering fast, fully automatic structure solution and refinement during data collection. Developed in collaboration with OlexSys Ltd (Durham University, UK), AutoChem works in conjunction with Olex² where more advanced structure solution and refinement functionality exists. AutoChem is seamlessly integrated within CrysAlisPro, and forms an integral part of our ‘What is this?’ feature. The ‘What is this?’ feature gives you structures quickly and ensures you are not wasting time collecting full datasets on known samples or starting materials. It is an alternative pre-experiment option, which is used to plan your full data collections.
Jakub Wojciechowski walks us through the latest updates to the Check Cell tool. You’ll see how it now supports searching both the organic CSD and inorganic ICSD databases and what you need to do to ensure you have access to both.
Crystals in the News
January 1, 2026
Researchers from the University of Minnesota have developed a synthetic method to produce arynes from carboxylic acidsand characterized the products by crystallography.
January 8, 2026
Scientists from the UK have synthesized and characterizedS substituted β-lactam rings,which have implications for improved antibiotics.
Bruce Schneier’s and Nathan E. Sanders’ Rewiring Democracy: How AI Will Transform Our Politics, Government, and Citizenship is a must-read deep dive into the implications of AI technology on democracy, both present and future. Artificial intelligence is no longer solely a notion of the future, but a force shaping the present. Schneier and Sanders review how AI is already impacting democracy in the United States and abroad, and how that will inevitably shift as AI becomes even more prominent and powerful.
After the introduction (part I), the book is divided into six additional parts, each examining the present and future impact of AI on a different piece of the democratic system. They review and analyze the impact ofn AI on politics itself, from campaigning to polling, to participating as a politician in an AI-enhanced society. They discuss the potential for AI as used by legislators, highlighting the potential downsides of eliminating the human element of empathy and common sense from the law-making process. Those pitfalls are similar when examining the potential role of AI in the court system, and the dangers of using AI as a judge. AI is only going to be as fair and as just as the data and information it has been trained on. Sanders and Schneier also illustrate the impact of AI on average citizens and their ability to participate knowingly in a democracy that has been irrevocably altered by AI.
Part VII, the final part of the book, examines the steps that need to be taken by lawmakers, judges, and leaders to ensure that AI serves to benefit democracy, not harm it. Rather than argue for or against AI in democracy, Sanders and Schneier take a more neutral but practical stance. AI is a current reality. AI is already being used by democratic governments around the world, for better or for worse. AI has already played a role in influencing the populace and subsequently the outcome of popular voting. AI has become a tool that average citizens and their leaders have access to. So the question is not whether AI should play a role in democracy because whether or not it should, it already has and already does. Sanders and Schneier present a game plan for legislative, judicial, and executive branches of government at every level to ensure that AI is being used to enhance and preserve the tenets of democracy, not tear it down.
