Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) spectroscopy allows chemists to conduct extremely precise high resolution studies on materials containing unpaired electrons (paramagnetic compounds). Such studies reveal information on molecular structure that is unavailable by any other technique. This award from the Chemistry Shared Instrumentation Program will help the Department of Chemistry at Columbia University to acquire an ESR spectrometer. The areas of chemical research that will be enhanced by the acquisition include the following: 1) Development and application of inorganic complexes to probe biopolymers 2) Preparation of stable radicals and diradicals 3) Design of molecules and experiments to probe electron and charge transfer processes 4) Use of magnetic field, magnetic isotope and magnetic resonance effects on photochemical processes 5) ESR methods for the study of free radical gas phase chemical reactions.
