Protein crystallization and phase diagrams.

The phase diagram is a map which represents the state of a material (e.g., solid and liquid) as a function of the ambient conditions (e.g., temperature and concentration). It is therefore a useful tool in processing many different classes of materials. In this article, methods to determine the phase diagram of an aqueous solution of a globular protein are described, focusing on the solid (crystal) and condensed liquid states. The use of the information contained in the phase diagram for protein crystallization is also discussed.