This award from the Chemistry Research Instrumentation and Facilities (CRIF)/Junior Faculty Program will allow the Department of Chemistry at the University of North Dakota to purchase a circular dichroism (CD) spectrometer. This instrument will be used primarily by Mahesh Lakshman, a junior faculty member, for his research program involving the synthesis and study of chiroptical properties of glycosides; and chemical synthesis for the study of carcinogen-DNA interactions. The department also plans to incorporate CD spectrometry into the advanced organic and physical chemistry laboratory courses.
Measurements of optical activity have long played an essential role in the development of organic chemistry and biochemistry. The study of circular dichroism provides important information about the electronic states or structures of individual molecules or ions. These techniques are used when studying absolute configurations of molecules, reaction mechanisms and kinetics, asymmetric or stereospecific syntheses, thermodynamic properties of dissolved species, and many other stereochemical problems.
