This award from the Chemistry Research Instrumentation Program will help the Department of Chemistry at the University of Utah acquire a Raman spectrometer. The Raman spectrometer will be used in research projects aimed at: 1) Raman studies of metalloproteins, 2) chemical structure and kinetics at dielectric solid/liquid interfaces, 4) vibrational studies of complex Ni(III) and Ni(IV) oxides, 5) vibrational studies of host-guest interactions in organometallic systems and 6) Raman spectroscopic studies of solid state chain reactions. Raman spectroscopy is concerned with vibrational and rotational transitions in molecules. The information obtained sometimes complements that obtained from an infrared study and provides valuable structural information. Fourier-transform Raman spectroscopy with near-infrared excitation provides a powerful solution to problems of high background fluorescene or sample photodegradation, as well as enhanced signal-to-noise quality. Raman spectroscopy is an invaluable tool in studies of condensed-phase chemical and biomolecular systems.
