With this award from the Major Research Instrumentation Program (MRI) and support from the Chemistry Research Instrumentation Program (CRIF), Professor Paul Spiegel from Western Washington University and colleague John Gilbertson will acquire an X-ray diffractometer. In general, 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 biochemistry. This instrument will be an integral part of teaching as well as research and research training not only at Western Washington University but also at neighboring institutions from the Seattle area.
The award is aimed at enhancing research and education at all levels, especially in areas such as (a) determining the structure of circularly permuted hemoglobin constructs for the development of recombinant blood replacements; (b) studying the immune response to hemophilia treatment; (c) determining the structural biology of engineered protein complexes; (d) determining the structure of small molecule inorganic complexes for the application of carbon dioxide reduction; (e) structure determination of organic fluorophores with extended pi systems for use in solar energy conversion; (f) structural analysis of quantum dot ternary nanocrystals for the application of optical and electronic properties; (g) microscale X-ray diffraction analysis of core-shell nanocatalysts for hydrotreating applications to petroleum-based feedstocks; and (h) structural studies of the villin/gelsolin family of cytoskeleton regulators.
