Acquisition of Mass Spectrometers and X-ray Diffractometer

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This award from the Chemistry Research Instrumentation and Facilities (CRIF) and the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Programs will allow the Department of Chemistry at the University of Chicago to acquire two mass spectrometers and an X-ray diffractometer. This equipment will enhance research in a number of areas, including studies of large multi-charged metal complexes with an emphasis on bimetallic complexes and supramolecular assemblies and guest incorporation; synthesis of cubane analogs; studies of materials at high pressures; synthesis and study of very small, reactive hydrides of nitrogen; investigations of reductive elimination reactions in nickel(II) systems; chemistry of electrophilic metal complexes; molecular recognition; bioorganic chemistry and chemical biology; self-assembled monolayers of alkanethiolates on gold as model surfaces for understanding and controlling mammalian cell-substrate interactions; biological catalysis, for example, phosphoryl transfer reactions catalyzed by ribozymes; medium to large ring synthesis with carbene complexes; and the rational design, synthesis and characterization of novel functional and multifunctional polymers and molecules. Mass spectrometry (MS) is a technique used to probe intimate structural details and to obtain the molecular compositions of a vast array of organic, bioorganic, and organometallic molecules. 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. This suite of instruments will facilitate research in biological chemistry, materials science, and general synthetic chemistry, as well as biological and geophysical sciences.