Acquisition of an X-Ray Diffractometer

Pennsylvania State Univ University Park, University Park PA

Investigators

Abstract

With support from the Chemistry Research Instrumentation and Facilities (CRIF) Program, the Department of Chemistry at Pennsylvania State University will acquire a X-ray diffractometer with CCD detector and stereo microscope for small molecule diffractometry. This equipment will enhance research in a number of areas including the following: single crystal and fiber diffraction of phosphazene-based compounds and molecular inclusion clathrates; design and characterization of multi-dimensional covalent networks; novel methods of molecular recognition and the preparation of fluorescent chemical sensors; structural relationships between bioinorganic analogues and metalloprotein active sites; molecular recognition and artificial photosynthesis in lamellar and zeolitic solids; relating structural details to the mechanistic aspects of organometallic chemistry and homogeneous catalysis; structural characterization of complex natural products and their synthetic precursors; and structure-function relationships in enantioselective catalysts. The X-ray diffractometer allows accurate and precise measurements of the full three dimensional structure of a molecule, including bond distances and angles, and it provides accurate information about the spatial arrangement of the molecule relative to the neighboring molecules. These studies will have an impact in a number of areas, including the preparation of more efficient catalysts, chemical sensors, and biochemistry.