This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
With this award from the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program Professor James Brummer and colleagues Robert C. Badger, Nathan Bowling, and John P. Droske from the Department of Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point will acquire a 400 MHz NMR spectrometer capable of supporting one-dimensional, two-dimensional, time-resolved, and temperature-dependent studies. The instrument will be used to support research activities such as: 1) tuning luminescence properties of Re(I) and W(0) complexes; 2) coordination driven planarization of aryleneethynylenes; 3) synthesis and characterization of polymers containing disulfide crosslinkers; 4) structural elucidation of synthesized indole alkaloidal natural products and prodrugs; 5) study of metal-metal quadruply bonded complexes; 6) study of germanium coordination compounds and germanium nanoparticles; and 7) deposition of nanowires onto diamond surfaces using ionic liquids.
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is one of the most powerful tools available to chemists for the elucidation of the structure of molecules. It is used to identify unknown substances, to characterize specific arrangements of atoms within molecules, and to study the dynamics of interactions between molecules in solution. Access to state-of-the-art NMR spectrometers is essential to chemists who are carrying out frontier research. The results from these NMR studies will have an impact in synthetic organic/inorganic chemistry, materials chemistry and biochemistry. This instrument will be an integral part of teaching as well as research.
(UWSP) purchased a Bruker 400 MHz nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer to support research and teaching. This instrument replaces a failing and obsolete 200 MHz NMR that was purchased in 1988. NMR spectroscopy is a vital tool for elucidating the structure (atom connectivity) of materials that students synthesize. The new NMR was installed in September of 2010. It is the most heavily used instrument in the UWSP Department of Chemistry. It is utilized by students in six separate courses. Once trained by a faculty member, students sit down at the instrument's console to create and initiate their experiments. They then process their data off-line using user-friendly software developed in-house. Over 220 students per year run at least ten experiments on the spectrometer. To date, over 8000 experiments have been run. UWSP has a long history of interesting students in STEM fields and preparing them for success in the private and public sectors and for graduate studies in chemistry, material science, biochemistry, and other biosciences. As a measure of this success, between 2001 and 2010, twenty-seven UWSP alumni earned a PhD in chemistry. Out of all public and private colleges in Wisconsin, this number ranks second only to UW-Madison. This success is in large part due to meaningful student participation in faculty-mentored research projects. Advancing these projects requires convenient access to state-of-the-art instrumentation for chemical analysis such as the new NMR spectrometer. The UWSP Department of Chemistry views research not only as a means for generating new knowledge, but also an effective vehicle for teaching chemistry and interesting students in research as a career. Current projects being pursued by seven UWSP faculty members and their students could not advance without an NMR. The new 400 MHz instrument has been invaluable in characterizing the molecules they synthesize. The results of two of these projects are given below. Dr. Nathan Bowling is an organic chemist. He has been at UWSP for seven years and has supervised over 24 research students. Many of his students work on their projects over the summer as paid research assistants. Dr. Bowling applies part of his grant funding towards research stipends for these students. His research group has synthesized several extended organic (carbon-based) molecules that bind various metal ions in pockets within their structure. The molecules actually change their geometry in the course of metal binding. As a result, the wavelength (i.e. color) and intensity of the light they absorb and emit changes. The understanding Dr. Bowling is developing is allowing him to design new target molecules with desirable electronic properties. In particular, these molecules may have potential applications in solar energy conversion to electricity, as transistors, and in light emitting diode technology. They may also serve as sensors for metal-ion detection. Dr. Bowling and his students have recently published their results in the Journal of Organic Chemistry and Dalton Transactions. Dr. John Droske is an organic/polymer chemist. He has been at UWSP for thirty years and has supervised well over one-hundred research students. Dr. Droske has a strong record of securing summer research stipends for his students. Over the past three years, his group has been working towards a straight-forward synthesis of polymeric materials that can be made from renewable, plant-based materials (e.g. agricultural sources) and that are biodegradable. He and his students have developed a series of polymers whose properties (e.g. elasticity, strength, hardness, thermal stability, biodegradability) can be varied by modification of the repeating monomeric units that comprise them. Minor alterations of these units can lead to significant changes in properties. This research has led to several presentations by Dr. Droske and his students at professional meetings and the filing of two patent applications. Potential applications for this research include compostable plastics and bioresorbable bone adhesives.
