Michael Tubergen of Kent State University is supported by the Experimental Physical Chemistry Program in his studies to determine the conformational structures of amide derivatives of amino acids using Fourier-transform microwave spectroscopy. Isotopic substitution (deuterium, nitrogen-15 or carbon-13 in natural abundance) will be used to identify the hydrogen atoms participating in intramolecular hydrogen bonds as well as to characterize the conformation. The structures of solvent van der Waals complexes with these same molecules will also be examined, especially complexes involving water and model dipeptides. The results of this research should lead to improved modeling of larger biological molecules. The education plan of this CAREER award involves extensive revisions of the undergraduate physical chemistry program. Modifications, such as incorporation of laser-based experiments and multidimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy in the laboratory sequence will introduce students to modern spectroscopic techniques. An aggressive community outreach effort and a focus on research projects accessible to undergraduates will be emphasized.
