This Research Opportunities for Women Research Planning Grant is in the area of bioinorganic chemistry. During the twelve month period beginning 15 May 1989, Professor Janet Morrow will conduct preliminary experiments on the Zn(II) catalyzed hydrolysis of phosphate diesters that are models for biologically important molecules. These experiments, which will be conducted collaboratively with one undergraduate and one graduate research student, should provide the preliminary data that is necessary for the Principal Investigator to develop a competitive full research proposal and lead to the establishment of a viable, independent research program in her laboratory at SUNY at Buffalo. The research area that is to be explored in this project is broadly important in biological chemistry, particularly in the characterization of ribonucleic acids (RNAs). The results of this work could lead to the development of new reagents for RNA sequencing.
