The Department of Chemistry at Kansas State University will use this award from the Chemistry Research Instrumentation Program to help acquire a mass spectrometer system. The areas of chemical research that will enhance by the acquisition include the following: 1) Diels - Alder Chemistry of Activated Cyclobutenes, 2) Asymmetric Synthesis of Natural Products and Molecules of Biomedical Interest, 3) Organic Molecule Fragmentations on the Surfaces of Nano-scale Metal Oxide Particles, 4) Performance of SMAD Catalysts Organic Precursors to Carbon Monosulfide (CS), 5) p-Phenylenediimido-Bridged Dimers and Polymers. A New Class of Conjugated Inorganic Systems, and 6) Toward a Hydrocarbon Ferromagnet: Polyarylmethyls. Mass spectrometry is a technique used to probe intimate structural details and to obtain the molecular compositions of a vast array of organic, bioorganic and organometallic molecules. When combined with a high performance liquid chromatograph, the resulting system affords the chemist one of the most powerful tools available for the separation and characterization of compounds. The acquisition of a mass spectrometer is essential for the prosecution of frontier research in many fields of chemistry.
