In line with the dramatic and continuing improvements in X-ray generation technologies for laboratory and accelerator sources around the world, reports of X-ray-induced processes in chemical crystalline materials are on the rise. These observations are challenging the traditional viewpoint that radiation damage is only of significant concern for protein structure determinations, encouraging small molecule crystallographers to identify and address X-ray-induced effects in a broadening range of susceptible materials. This review explores the recent investigations into X-ray damage and X-ray-induced transformations in chemical crystalline materials and discusses state-of-the-art methodologies to quantify and mitigate the effects of the X-ray probe on single-crystal and microcrystalline powder samples.
Lewis et al. (Tue,) studied this question.