The Department of Chemistry at Montana State University, which is an EPSCOR state, will use this award from the Chemical Research Instrumentation Program to help acquire a Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) Spectrometer. The areas of chemical research that will be enhanced by the acquisition include measurements of: the motions of non-rigid molecules, proton glasses, low frequency vibrations in organometallic complexes, corrosion of metal surfaces, general organic and inorganic chemical systems, and secondary structures of membrane protein receptors. %%% Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy is a technique that uses absorption of infrared energy to probe molecular structure. When used in conjunction with a modern computer, FTIR studies on large numbers of samples can be conveniently carried out and the resulting data readily analyzed. The use of FTIR spectroscopy is essential to chemists who are carrying out research in many important frontier areas.
