With this award from the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program, the Department of Chemistry at Earlham College will acquire a 400 MHz NMR Spectrometer. This equipment will enable researchers to carry out studies on a) the synthetic applications of ring expansions and contractions of a series of cyclic beta-hydroxy tertiary amines under Mitsunobu and modified Mitsunobu conditions; b) the synthesis of phytosiderophores analogues, natural compounds that may facilitate active transfer of molecules into the roots of grasses; c) the effects of oxidative damage on proteins; and d) the effects of an NAD+ precursor on high energy phosphate metabolism and glycolysis in hearts from diabetic rats.
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is the most powerful tool available to chemists for the elucidation of the structure of molecules. It is used to identify unknown substances, to characterize specific arrangements of atoms within molecules, and to study the dynamics of interactions between molecules in solution. Access to state-of-the-art NMR spectrometers is essential to chemists who are carrying out frontier research. The results from these NMR studies will have an impact in a number of areas, in particular molecular biology .
