Using SAXS to evaluate radical scavengers
SIBYLS user Tim Stachowski and the Snell group made the cover of the Journal of Synchrotron Radiation for their paper describing their work using Small-angle X-ray Scattering to evaluate how three scavengers commonly used in crystallographic experiments perform in solution at 10°C. In this study, they found the SAXS-based method can detect damage at X-ray doses far lower than those accessible crystallographically, thereby providing a detailed picture of scavenger processes. Their approach provides a platform for more systematic and comprehensive screening of radioprotectants that can directly inform mitigation strategies for both solution and crystallographic experiments, while also clarifying fundamental radiation damage mechanisms.