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 William P. Malachowski and colleagues Sharon N. Burgmayer, Jonas I. Goldsmith and Frank B. Mallory from the Department of Chemistry at Bryn Mawr College will acquire a 400 MHz NMR spectrometer outfitted with a broadband probe, a dual 1H-13C probe, and variable temperature unit. The instrument will be used to support research activities such as: 1) synthetic tools for therapies and IDO inhibitor development for anti-cancer treatment; 2) reactions of pterin-dithiolene molybdenum complexes; 3) synthesis of [n]phenacenes for use as molecular wires; and 4) design of multimetallic transition metal complexes for light harvesting.
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.
The NMR instrument that was purchased with the NSF MRI award has had a significant role in supporting both educational and research operations at Bryn Mawr College. The instrument has been used by several hundred undergraduate students in the context of the organic chemistry curriculum, which prepares many students for careers in the sciences and the medical field. It has also been used in the more advanced chemistry curriculum and with undergraduate research activities. Notably this has benefited an increasingly diverse student body, thereby promoting the involvement of under-represented groups in the sciences. In fact, over the last two years, nearly 60% of our undergraduate female majors have been of Asian (34%), Latina (14%) or African (10%) descent. Furthermore, over the 2012 calendar year, 10 graduate students, including six women, have had the opportunity to use this wonderful high field spectroscopic instrument. This award and the NMR instrument that was purchased have provided state-of-the-art equipment to many people who have historically had less opportunity to engage in the chemical sciences. Based on the most recent composition of Bryn Mawr College’s students, we anticipate that this trend will continue as the NMR instrument is used in our curriculum over the next two decades. In addition to the educational gains, research discoveries have been made and communicated in the fields of drug development, bioinorganic chemistry, molecular electronics, and nanotechnology. Notably developments occurred with studies around new more efficient reactions to make complex bioactive molecules; the study of molecular wires with potential nanotechnology applications; the study of critical molybdenum enzymes in nature; and the electron capture and transfer capability of organometallic complexes. These studies resulted in five new articles and a total of seventeen presentations at national chemistry meetings over the last 18 months. Given the strong research tradition at Bryn Mawr, we are confident this scholarly productivity will also continue for many years to come. Furthermore, it is our experience that this rich research environment, which now includes the modern NMR instrument from this NSF award, provides a fertile training experience for future scientists. Indeed, the most recent NSF (April 2013) study on the bachelor’s degree origin of science and engineering doctorates shows Bryn Mawr College ranking 17th nationally (after adjusting for the size of the institution) in the number of our bachelor’s graduates going on to receive their doctorate in science or engineering. In conclusion, the benefits of this NSF award have been wide ranging and will continue to yield important scientific and educational returns for many years to come.
