With support from the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program, the Department of Chemistry at Central Connecticut State University will acquire a 300 MHz nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) Spectrometer. This equipment will enable researchers to carry out studies on a) the synthesis of chiral palladium(0) catalysts for the enantiomeric reduction of unsaturated ketones to chiral allylic alcohols; b) the synthesis of macrocyclic synthetic receptors to be used in chiral HPLC column manufacture; c) synthesis of many symmetric and asymmetric thienyl derivatives of benzil and benzoin; d) the kinetics of hydration of the ligand di-2-pyridyl ketone in the presence of first-row transition metals . Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is one of the most powerful tools 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 synthetic organic chemistry and polymer chemistry.
