Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is the most powerful tool available to the chemist for the elucidation of the structure of molecules. It is used to identify unknown substances, 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 spectroscopy is essential to chemists who are carrying out frontier research. This award from the Chemistry Shared Instrumentation Program will help the Department of Chemistry at Harvard University to acquire a high-field NMR spectrometer. Among the areas of chemical research that will be enhanced by the acquisition are the following: 1) Organic synthesis of oligo- and polysaccharides using enzymes as catalysts 2) Synthetic, bio-organic, and medicinal chemistry 3) Discovery and development of new organic and organometallic reactions and associated synthesis methodology 4) The design of small molecule enzyme mimics 5) Conformational analysis of C-glycosides and glycosides 6) Natural product structure elucidation by the methods of NMR and organic synthesis 7) Structure elucidation of complex synthetic intermediates.
