Research in the areas of drug design and discovery relies heavily on spectroscopic instruments used to determine the chemical structure, conformation, and dynamic behavior in solution of the molecules being studied. At present and for the foreseeable future, one of the most important spectroscopic tools used to assess these structural features in the development of new synthetic drugs and the isolation of potential drugs from natural sources is nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The faculty members, students, and research personnel of the Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy in the College of Pharmacy of The Ohio State University have a long tradition of shared use of NMR spectrometers in creative ways to facilitate nationally recognized research in drug design and discovery. This NCRR Shared Instrumentation grant application requests funds for the purchase of the Bruker Avance 300 FT/NMR spectrometer system with 7.05 Tesla superconducting magnet, rf transmitter system with X-nucleus observe and decouple capabilities, digital acquisition control system, computer workstation and software, digital variable temperature control unit, and a 5 mm broadband observe probe. The requested 300 MHz NMR will replace a 15-year old 250 MHz Bruker AC250 spectrometer that has served as the """"""""workhorse"""""""" instrument for handling large numbers of shorter duration NMR experiments in our shared instrument facility in the College of Pharmacy. The 250 MHz spectrometer provided us with unusually reliable service over the years, but the AC250 has become more obsolete, unreliable and nearly impossible to repair due to diminishing parts' availability. This request for a 300 MHz NMR spectrometer system represents the most cost effective, capable spectrometer to accommodate our growing local user group of about 45 individuals, consisting of medicinal chemistry faculty members, graduate students, and post-doctoral researchers.
