With this award from the Major Research Instrumentation Program, Professor Evgeny Dikarev from SUNY Albany and colleagues Eric Block, Marina Petrukhina, Rabi Musah and John Welch will acquire a single crystal diffractometer system equipped with Cu microfocus source and complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) detector. The proposal is aimed at enhancing research and education at all levels, especially in areas such as (a) synthesis and structural investigation of volatile heterometallic single-source precursors for the preparation of energy-related oxide, fluoride, and silicate materials; (b) broad investigation of unique bowl-shaped polyaromatic hydrocarbons that map onto the surface of fullerenes; (c) studies of trifluoroselenomethionine and odorant receptors for low molecular weight thiol/thioethers and selenoethers involving Cu complexes; (d) development of new synthetic methods to access hypervalent fluorinated sulfur-containing compounds; and (e) organosulfur plant-derived natural products as well as other areas of the chemical sciences.
An X-ray diffractometer allows accurate and precise measurements of the full three-dimensional structure of a molecule, including bond distances and angles, and provides accurate information about the spatial arrangement of a molecule relative to neighboring molecules. The studies described here will impact a number of areas, including organic and inorganic chemistry, materials chemistry and natural products chemistry. This instrument will be an integral part of teaching as well as research and research training and will contribute to educate undergraduate students, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.
