The current departmental NMR spectrometer is a Bruker AC 250 configured as a proton/carbon fixed frequency, computer switchable instrument with a 5 mm probe that operates only at ambient temperature. This proposed project seeks to modify the existing instrument for multinuclear operation from 109Ag to 31p, and for variable temperature operation from -150 to + 150 C. These enhancements were not requested in the original NSF-ILI proposal which partially funded the purchase of the spectrometer because (1) the PI for the current proposal was not a faculty member in the department at that time and, (2) it was felt by the PI and co-PI's of that earlier proposal that the university would NOT be willing to cost share the additional amount that the current proposed enhancements would have added to that original proposal. The courses for which the multinuclear and variable temperature instrument enhancements will have the greatest benefit are Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory, Experimental Physical Chemistry and Directed Research (undergraduate research). The underlying premise in the incorporation of NMR techniques and applications into these later upper division courses is that the experience students gained using 1H and 13C NMR in the earlier, higher enrollment, upper division laboratory courses such as Organic Chemistry II and Instrumental Analysis will permit the use of more sophisticated NMR experiments in those later upper division courses. Several new laboratory experiments using the modified NMR spectrometer are proposed, and when implemented and tested would be published in the appropriate journals.
