With a Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) award, the Department of Chemistry at Columbia University will acquire a single crystal X-ray diffractometer. This diffractometer is a CCD 3kW sealed tube system and includes a low temperature device. It will be employed in the following research areas: (i) analysis of retrodative bonding in metal borane compounds, (ii) structural characterization of compounds that mimic hydrodesulfurization catalysts, (iii) analysis of the diasteroselectivity in the formation of dioxetanes during the photooxygenation of enecarbamates, (iv) C-H bond functionalization in organic synthesis, (v) synthesis, self-assembly, and crystallography of organic electronic materials, and (vi) mechanisms of transition metal catalyzed ionic hydrogenation of organic substrates.
The X-ray diffractometer allows the determination of accurate and precise bond distances and angles between atoms in a molecule. Upon analysis of the diffraction pattern, an investigator essentially maps out the three dimensional structure of a molecule, and the spatial arrangement of the molecule relative to the neighboring molecules. The composition of a solid material is fully described by analyzing the diffraction pattern. This equipment will be used in teaching and research. Undergraduate students will benefit from the instrument, and determine the structures of compounds that they are currently investigating in their research.
