The Chemistry Department at the University of Memphis will acquire a spectropolarimeter with a stopped flow module with this award from the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program. The requested instrument will facilitate ongoing research projects including the detection and quantitation of water disinfection by-products; the structure and function of phospholipid receptors; development of nanobioreactors for hydrogen production and biosensor application; characterization of a novel mitochondrial protein, NIPSNAP1.
The spectropolarimeter will produce circular dichroism spectral data which provide information on molecular structure, especially for proteins. The stopped flow capability will provide reaction kinetics data which give information on the speed of chemical and biological reactions. These are important tools in the training of young scientists. The instrument will be used in research by graduate and undergraduate students and in laboratory classes.
