The asymmetric unit is the fundamental structure that is repeated in crystals of macromolecules (see Crystallography; X-Ray Crystallography). Depending on the symmetry of the crystallographic lattice, each particle is present in multiple copies in the unit cell of the crystal. Only if symmetry is absent (space group P1) is a single copy present in the unit cell. In this case, the entire unit cell is an asymmetric unit. But if the unit cell has symmetry elements, it can be divided into identical parts related by this symmetry. Such a part, called the asymmetric unit, does not contain any crystallographic symmetry element. In Fig. 1, a projection of the unit cell in space group P2 is drawn. The twofold axes are perpendicular to the plane of the drawing. This unit cell has two asymmetric units. If the structure of the asymmetric unit is known, the structure of the entire crystal can be reproduced by applying the crystallographic symmetry.
Figure 1. Projection of a unit cell in space group P2 that has twofold axes (black ellipses) perpendicular to the plane of the drawing. The circles are particles related by the symmetry. The symmetry divides the unit cell into two exactly equal parts. Therefore, this cell has two asymmetric units.
