Subsequent analysis using different acquisition modalities of electron diffraction such as scanning transmission electron microscopy techniques (4D-STEM) may also be able to investigate the planar disorder evident in XRPD data, whilst relating this to the crystal morphology and sub-crystal structure of xanthine particles. In future, aided by structural insights from 3D-ED, the combined use of multi-dimensional electron diffraction techniques could yield fresh insights into the microstructure of small organic molecules.