CRIF MU: Acquisition of a Cyber-Enabled 400-MHz NMR Spectrometer

Arizona State University, Scottsdale AZ

Investigators

Abstract

With this award from the Chemistry Research Instrumentation and Facilities: Multi User program (CRIF:MU), the Department of Integrated Natural Sciences at Arizona State University-West Campus will acquire a cyber-enabled 400-MHz Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectrometer. This instrument will be utilized in various research projects in areas such as the synthesis of boron-containing photosensitizer dyes for solar energy conversion to electricity, identification of organic soil pollutants and allelopathic chemicals, and synthesis and biological testing of retinoid X receptors analogues. In addition an important function of the spectrometer will be its use for undergraduate teaching and research training. At this institution, in which most Colleges and Schools do not grant doctorate degrees, faculty members are expected to conduct original research and guide undergraduate students in faculty-mentored research projects. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is one of the most powerful tools available to chemists for the elucidation of the structure of molecules. It is used to identify unknown substances, to 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 spectrometers is essential to chemists who are carrying out frontier research. The results from these NMR studies will have an impact in synthetic organic/inorganic chemistry and biochemistry.