With this award from the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program Professor Roberto Gil from Carnegie Mellon University will acquire a console for a 500 MHz Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectrometer. The upgrade would consist of an ultra-fast and fully digital console, three new 500 MHz NMR broadband probes with digital tuning, a pre-cooling and stabilization accessory for ultra-precise temperature control from near ambient conditions down to 0 degrees C, and an automatic sample changer. The proposal is aimed at enhancing research training and education at all levels, especially in areas of study such as characterization of polymers and material chemistry, atom transfer radical polymerization, nucleic acid research and technology, and organic, inorganic and bioinorganic and biorganic chemistry as well as atmospheric and development of NMR methodologies, studies of small organic molecules in anisotropic media and molecular biosensors.
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.
