MRI: Acquisition of a 400-MHz NMR Spectrometer with Nitrogen-Cooled Cryoprobe

University Of Iowa, Iowa City IA

Investigators

Abstract

This award is supported by the Major Research Instrumentation and the Chemistry Research Instrumentation programs. The University of Iowa is acquiring a 400 MHz nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer equipped with an inverse probe and a liquid-nitrogen cooled probe. The instrumentation supports Professors James Gloer, Leonard MacGillivray, Santhana Velupillai, Ned Bowden, Scott Daly and other colleagues. This spectrometer allows research in a variety of fields such as those that accelerate chemical reactions of significant economic importance, as well as permitting study of biologically relevant species. In general, 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 or in the solid state. Access to state-of-the-art NMR spectrometers is essential to chemists who are carrying out frontier research. This instrument is an integral part of teaching as well as research and research training of undergraduate students in chemistry and biochemistry at this institution and nearby institutions such as Augustana College, as well as Des Moines Area, Kirkwood, Indian Hills and Iowa Valley community colleges and some industrial partners. The award of the NMR spectrometer is aimed at enhancing research and education at all levels. It especially impacts the discovery of bioactive natural products and the analyses of environmental degradation products of steroids and other pharmaceuticals, as well as the studies on the role of hydrogen sulfide and its controlled release in agriculture using dithiophosphates. The instrumentation is also utilized for studying synthetic coordination chemistry and ligand design for carbon dioxide reduction and separation of actinides from lanthanides, and for the development of asymmetric synthetic strategies with applications to bioactive molecules relevant to human health. In addition, it provides information to understand the disposition and toxicity of environmental pollutants and their biotransformation products, and for the analyses of products formed from template-directed synthesis of complex molecules in the solid state. The NMR spectrometer is also used to develop catalytic transformations and strategies for bond activation and to study boron-mediated chemistry, exemplified by nitrene formation to generate amines through carbon–hydrogen functionalization processes. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.