<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; ">In the crystallographic community we routinely ship our samples of crystals frozen in vitreous ice in dry dewars when we send samples to synchrotron sources for data collection. Although there are significant differences (our samples are much thicker) we have not had a problem with loss of vitrification of our samples during shipment. Our experiments are at least as sensitive to ice formation either in the vitreous sample or as water deposited on the frozen sample as we typically irradiate much larger areas of the sample, and even tiny crystals would be apparent in diffraction experiments. If you have any doubts you should consider conducting a "dry run" in which you store samples in a dry dewar at home.<DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Jim Hogle</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><BR><DIV><DIV>On May 30, 2006, at 10:01 AM, Benoît ZUBER wrote:</DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"> <P><FONT size="2">**** Messages to this list are automatically archived ***</FONT> <BR><FONT size="2">**** Please limit quoting of previous postings to the bare minimum ****</FONT> </P><P><FONT size="2">Dear colleagues,</FONT> </P><P><FONT size="2">I want to send vitreous samples in a “dry dewar”, i.e. a dewar in which</FONT> <BR><FONT size="2">liquid nitrogen is absorbed in a porous material. Since the samples are in</FONT> <BR><FONT size="2">gas phase, I am concerned that they always stay below the devitrification</FONT> <BR><FONT size="2">temperature. Has anyone transported vitreous material in such a dewar? Did</FONT> <BR><FONT size="2">the samples stay vitreous?</FONT> </P><P><FONT size="2">Best regards,</FONT> <BR><FONT size="2">Benoît</FONT> </P><P><FONT size="2">Benoît Zuber</FONT> <BR><FONT size="2">Université de Lausanne</FONT> <BR><FONT size="2">Laboratoire d'analyse ultrastructurale</FONT> <BR><FONT size="2">Bâtiment Biophore</FONT> <BR><FONT size="2">CH-1015 Lausanne</FONT> <BR><FONT size="2">Switzerland</FONT> </P><P><FONT size="2">tel: +41 21 692 4289 ou +41 21 692 4283</FONT> <BR><FONT size="2">fax: +41 21 692 4285 </FONT> <BR><FONT size="2">e-mail: <A href="mailto:Benoit.Zuber@unil.ch">Benoit.Zuber@unil.ch</A></FONT> </P> <BR> <BR><P><FONT size="2">--</FONT> <BR><FONT size="2">For information on how to subscribe/unsubscribe/etc., send mail to</FONT> <BR><FONT size="2"><A href="mailto:3dem-request@3dem.ucsd.edu">3dem-request@3dem.ucsd.edu</A> with the text "help" in the body of the</FONT> <BR><FONT size="2">message.</FONT> </P> </BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR></DIV></BODY></HTML>