MRI: Acquisition of a 400 MHz NMR Spectrometer at Cal Poly Pomona

Cal Poly Pomona Foundation, Inc., Pomona CA

Investigators

Abstract

With this award from the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program Professor Katherine Kantardjieff and colleagues Sean Liu, Philip Lukeman, Michael Page and Floyd Klavetter from Cal Poly Pomona will acquire a 400 MHz Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectrometer with various probes and an autosampler. The proposal is aimed at enhancing research training and education at all levels, especially in areas of study such as design, synthesis and characterization of liquid crystals as electrical conductors and environmentally responsive sensors, synthesis of green polyurethanes, design, synthesis andcharacterization of ion-conductive materials, engineering bacterial cytochromes c' with designed properties, kinetics of DNA-crosslinking, development of lanthanide chelates as biometabolite reporters, design and synthesis of nanostructured heterogenous catalysts and structural characterization of plant products with medicinal and physiological properties. 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, materials chemistry and biochemistry. This instrument will be an integral part of teaching as well as research.