This award from the Chemistry Research Instrumentation Program will help the Department of Chemistry at Haverford College, an undergraduate institution, acquire a 300 MHz NMR spectrometer which will be used in research investigations in the following areas of chemistry: 1. the synthesis of complex organic molecules 2. the structural environment of metals in proteins 3. solar energy conversion assemblies that mimic plant photosynthesis Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectroscopy is the most powerful tool available to the chemist for the elucidation of the structure of molecules. It is used to identify unknown substances, 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 spectroscopy is essential to chemists who are carrying out frontier research. The results from these NMR studies are useful in areas such as polymers and catalysis, and in biology.
