Synchrotron Beamline AccessBeamline BM 14
Description
BM14 provides the UK and EMBL crystallography community with a dedicated 3rd generation synchrotron MAD beamline for exploiting anomalous scattering methods in macromolecular structure determination. The beamline commenced user operations as a UK collaborative research group (CRG) beamline in May of (2001), after nearly 5 years of operation as an ESRF dedicated MAD beamline. The beamline has been designed to provide the rapid and accurate wavelength changes required by the MAD technique.
The beamline accepts requests for beamtime from any academic based group. Proposals are accepted on the needs, suitability and scientific merits of the projects proposed. For scheduling purposes, preference is given to groups based in the UK or EMBL member states applying for beamtime requiring a tunable X-ray source. This does not exclude applications for beamtime from other countries or for projects requiring only a fixed energy.
Applications for beamtime are wellcomed at any time. To provide a rapid response to the community we do have deadlines before the start of each synchrotron run at the ESRF. Reminders are posted to the CCP4BB.
Sample holders - SPINE pins and vials are expected
We strongly urge you to come to BM14 with samples mounted with SPINE standard vials and PINS (see here). If you insist on coming with non-standard pins then you should have some really sensible reason for doing so e.g. collection of room temperature data. In either case you need to alert the beamline staff well in advance as well as including it in your beamtime application as a special requirement .
Please note:
Before you do anything and to get the best out of your experiment, make sure you lab has and uses SPINE standard vials and caps. Once you have confirmed that, then throw out all your old caps and vials; then you nolonger need to worry...we nolonger have sympathy for people with non-standard pins and vials so be warned. Not equiping your lab with non-spine stanardards will mean:
- Use of kappa goniostat is not possible with hampton CrystalCap system (plastic base screw on caps) or oxford top hat system. If you want to use the hampton crystal cap system or the oxford top hat system then please notify us at least 4 weeks in advance and include this as a special requirement in your beamtime application form..
- Use of the robotic sample changer is only possible with SPINE standard sample holder -An overview of the sample changer and requirements can be found by clicking here !
- Sample Pin length recommended is Hampton pin 18mm /Spine standard 22mm. For an explanation see here
- For room temperature data collection or other special data collection needs, please contact beamline staff to be advised on how to proceed.
- If you come with non-standard mounts without alerting your local contact well in advance then expect delays and reduced access to your allocated beamtime
All BM14 users should read the Need to Know section of the web pages carefully to ensure that you have completed all necessary paperwork for your scheduled beamtime. You should do this, as soon as you recieve your invitation with your scheduled beamtime.
FINAL IMPORTANT UPDATE: YOUR BEAMTIME NOW STARTS AT 09:30 AT BM14 and not at 08:30 as on ESRF beamlines